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Cactus Flower
updated: Nov 15, 2012, 9:00 AM

By Edhat Subscriber

This beauty showed up in our yard yesterday, can anyone name it for me?

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Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 343068	2012-11-15 09:09 AM
starfish christmas cactus?
AQUAHOLIC	2012-11-15 09:20 AM
Wow, that is amazing...just gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.
COMMENT 343096	2012-11-15 09:43 AM
It is a Stepeliad. The flower stinks and attract flies. Gorgeous specimen!
COMMENT 343102	2012-11-15 09:51 AM
SO AWESOME! Is it from the cactus behind the flower?
ARTEMISIA	2012-11-15 10:21 AM
Stapelia, not a cactus but related to milkweeds. Most species are native to South Africa. This is a spectacular example! Thanks for the great photo.
COMMENT 343122	2012-11-15 10:27 AM
Beautiful specimen indeed! A few things come to mind: + It's probably Stapelia gigantea + It's not a cactus, nor is it a euphorb (which look similar to cacti), but rather a succulent species that's related to milkweed plants! Stapelia is in the Apocynaceae family (Dogbane family), which is a large, and recently revised, family... botanists subdivide the family into several groups including Stapelia's group, the subfamily Asclepiadoideae which also contains the milkweeds but in a different genus (Asclepias). + The flowers emit a strong odor of rotting meat, and the mottled petals resemble flesh. This "pollination syndrome" attracts flies, beetles, and other arthropods that are looking for food or a place to lay eggs. While they're foraging, the flower can be pollinated. Get your nose in there... isn't it amazing! Ok well, stinky, sure. But pretty cool that these flowers evolved to mimic rotting flesh. Oh nature.... *sigh* :-)
STACE	2012-11-15 10:50 AM
It's really fantastic! Thanks for posting a gret shot of it. Spectacular!
COMMENT 343133P	2012-11-15 10:51 AM
102, yes. Haven't noticed any weird smell from it, 096.
COMMENT 343154	2012-11-15 11:18 AM
Yes that is a Carrion or Toad Plant (Stapelia gigantea).
COMMENT 343174P	2012-11-15 11:39 AM
154, just googled stapelia gigantea and sure enough that is what this is. Thanks. I'll let my wife know.
COMMENT 343281P	2012-11-15 02:52 PM
Sure is pretty. How long did it take to develop into the flower?
MTNDRIVER	2012-11-15 03:23 PM
Definitely a stapelia. Get your nose really close.... Does look like the "gigantea" species, judging by flower color and size. Great photo, thanks.
COMMENT 343379P	2012-11-15 05:20 PM
@OP---is this color enhanced? My stapelia always look more reddish than maroon-red (as yours does). @122 Thank you, thank you, thank you. Great post!
COMMENT 343542	2012-11-16 06:20 AM
How about "Betty"?
COMMENT 343552	2012-11-16 07:07 AM
I saw some plants for sale at Terra Sol Garden Center in their succulent section. Awesome plant!
COMMENT 343755P	2012-11-16 12:19 PM
Whoa, there...Stunning!
COMMENT 343795P	2012-11-16 01:12 PM
Feed me, Seymour!
COMMENT 343811	2012-11-16 01:38 PM
So far you have the genus and species but I think this one is named Fred.

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