| Stapelia gigantea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Plant in flower, Mkuze Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Apocynaceae |
| Genus: | Stapelia |
| Species: | S. gigantea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Stapelia gigantea | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Stapelia gigantea is a species of flowering plant in the genus Stapelia of the family Apocynaceae.[1] Common names include carrion plant and toad plant (although the nickname "carrion plant" can also refer to Stapelia grandiflora). The plant is native to the desert regions of northeastern South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Provinces) north to Malawi and Zambia.[2]
Description
[edit]Growing up to 25 cm (10 in) tall, it is a clump-forming succulent plant with erect green four-angled stems 3 cm (1.2 in) thick. The flowers are large, up to 40 cm (16 in) wide, star-shaped, with five petals.[3] The flowers are red and yellow, wrinkled, with a silky texture and fringed with hairs, that can be as long as 8 mm (0.3 in). They flower throughout the year, but most prolifically in late summer, between December and April in South Africa.[3]
The flowers have the smell of rotting flesh,[4] in order to attract the flies which pollinate them. Scent compounds of carrion flowers responsible for their odour include diamines (putrescine and cadaverine), sulfur compounds and various phenolic molecules.[5] Because of the foul odour of its flower, S. gigantea can act as an appetite suppressant in humans.[6]
There have been several proposed reasons for the size of the flowers of S. gigantea. First, it is possible that they are large to attract the flies that pollinate them.[7] The large size and colour of the flowers combined with the carrion smell may cause the flies to behave as if it is a dead carcass and be more likely to visit it.[7][8]
Ecology
[edit]Stapelia gigantea grows in arid areas, often on sandy soil or rocky outcrops, and often with little other vegetation, though also sometimes in or even under open shubs. In South Africa, it occurs at altitudes from 325–1,100 m.[3]
S. gigantea can become an invasive plant when introduced in arid and semi-arid environments, although it has been found to facilitate the recruitment of nurse-dependent native taxa, those that require a suitable microhabitat created by another plant for successful germination, growth, and/or survival from impacts such as herbivory.[9]
Cultivation
[edit]Since it does not tolerate temperatures below 10 °C (50 °F) for extended periods, this plant must be grown under glass in temperate zones. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[10][11] The cultivar 'Zulu Giant' is often grown.
Gallery
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Flower and Plant -
Stems -
Stems -
Flower and bud
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Stapelia gigantea". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
- ^ "Stapelia gigantea N.E.Br". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ a b c "Stapelia gigantea". PlantZAfrica. 2021-03-21. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
- ^ Benbow, M. Eric; Tomberlin, Jeffery K.; Tarone, Aaron M. (August 2015). Carrion Ecology, Evolution, and Their Applications. CRC Press. p. 373. ISBN 9780429102240.
- ^ Corley, David Gregory; Miller, James (Mar 7, 2006), Plant derived or derivable material with appetite suppressing activity, retrieved 2016-09-28
- ^ a b Johnson, and Jurgens (2010). "Convergent evolution of carrion and faecal scent mimicry in fly-pollinated angiosperm flowers and a stinkhorn fungus". South African Journal of Botany. 76 (4): 796. Bibcode:2010SAJB...76..796J. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2010.07.012.
- ^ Davis Endress, and Baum. (2008). "The evolution of floral gigantism". Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 11 (1): 49–57. Bibcode:2008COPB...11...49D. doi:10.1016/j.pbi.2007.11.003. PMID 18207449.
- ^ Herrera, Ileana; Ferrer-Paris, José R.; Hernández-Rosas, José I.; Nassar, Jafet M. (2016). "Impact of two invasive succulents on native-seedling recruitment in Neotropical arid environments". Journal of Arid Environments. 132: 15–25. Bibcode:2016JArEn.132...15H. doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2016.04.007. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Stapelia gigantea". Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 99. Retrieved 21 November 2018.