Carrion flower

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GardenBear1

New Member
with all the rain we had today my Stapelia Gigantea bloomed for me to day its the largest its ever been reaching 15 inches wide and it did stink :eek: and the flies and bees had a field day laying egg, its a shame it won't stay open more than 2 days, but I still have 4 more buds to open yet :D, the white spots on the flower are eggs, and we all know what fly eggs turn in too, I love these plants because of the flowers, to bad it has to smell so bad

starfish002.jpg


starfish004.jpg
 

Maggie

New Member
My goodness, I have never seen one like that before. It is pretty tho' look sorta like a star fish.
 

GardenBear1

New Member
Maggie, its some times called a star fish plant , this a smaller one about 6 inches, but not the smallest, I call him Red Harry / Hirsuta is his real name, if I get time I'll take a picture of the smallest one in bloom, about 2 inches wide

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GardenBear1

New Member
Here's the smallest of my carrion its only the size of my thumb nail,Schneideriana maroon Huernia, this one will bloom all summer and then again in late winter


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Kya D

Active Member
Years ago my Mom had a plant similar to the 1st pic but the blossom was much smaller only about 2", She thought that the bloom was so unique that she picked it and pinned it to her dress and went to church. All through chruch she kept thinking what is that awful smell. When she realized it was her.....flower she was so embarassed
Moms was more like this one
Stapelia lepida
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/37474/
 
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GardenBear1

New Member
Kya, then main reason I grow them is for the flower, but I learned a good lesson not to let them bloom in the house, my big one boomed 3 years ago in the middle of winter and it was in my office :(, the smell was like some thing up and died so now I pick the buds off in the winter, I'm always looking for more to grow, they like it hot and dry very little water
 
oh dear , i think i have one of these , i,v had it for around 6 years now with no blooms , didnt know they had a bad smell , glade to find this out , and if i see any buds in the winter , i,ll be sure to take them off .
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Here's the smallest of my carrion its only the size of my thumb nail,Schneideriana maroon Huernia, this one will bloom all summer and then again in late winter


littleredstar006.jpg

I have one of these but it has never bloomed:( Maybe I will try some cactus fertilizer.
 

GardenBear1

New Member
Crabbergirl, no no no no no don't fert it, I don't feed mine any more the get all the need from the flies and other bug that lay eggs in them, if you keep it out side only clean out the big stuff that falls in to the plant let the rest rot and feed the plant
Nancy, where do you keep your plant and what kind of light does it get, if you keep them in bright light or in full sun they will bloom, unlike most house plants they can go a while with out water,this is a native South African succulent, they like to be on the dry side
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Maybe light is the problem. I had it in full sun when I first got it and it got all mushy. I have been keeping it on the deck and it just gets indirect light.I moved it yesterday after reading this thread and now it is where it will get direct morning light for a few hours. I have large trees I can hang it in where the light will be filtered if you think that is better. I worry about it getting too much water if it is outside in a tree. OK no ferti. I don't use ferti generally, mostly just compost even on my house plants but I do have some homemade fish emlusion. I won't add anything unless you think a little compst would be good.
 

GardenBear1

New Member
Crabbergirl, Hang it in the tree and let it do its thing, for some reason they don't mind lots of rain water, they seem to do better with the rain water, the only thing you need to watch for are mealy bugs, I use soap and water to get rid of them. I think the reason your plant got mushy when you put it out is because it was in the house and when you moved it it had to much sun at one time and it wasn't happy, there not fussy about what you plant them in, some say a sandy mix is best but I use any potting soil I have. IF for some reason the plant should die DO NOT put in in your compost pile, these little guys will grow from just one little root in the heat of the pile, make sure you wash your hand good with hot soap and water after handling the plant, because of the flies and other dead thing in the flowers. other than that there a fun plant to have and will grow for many years.
Nancy, do you have a pic of your plant, I've never heard of a carrion plant taking more than 2 years to bloom, unless it lighting is poor, unless it bloomed down in the pot where you couldn't see it.
 


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