PlantFiles: Stapelia
Stapelia leendertziae

Botanica Encyclopedia:
Stapelia (Carrion Flower, Starfish Flower)
The 45 species in this genus are the carrion flowers par excellence. They are perennial succulents from southern Africa, like small cacti in growth habit but without thorns. The flowers are wide open stars, elegant in their symmetry, but they are pollinated by flies that think nothing in the world is more tasty than a piece of rotting meat. Stapelias pander to them both by the odor of the flowers and also by their color, which always includes some variation on the theme of red, brown and purple usually in marbled patterns and sometimes streaked with cream to resemble fatty meat. The flies are sometimes so thoroughly deceived that they lay eggs on them, but the larvae starve to death when they hatch-they can't eat the flower. There are several hybrids and cultivars, some featuring pinkish or yellow tints at the tips of their stems.
Cultivation: Plant these frost-tender species in full sun or part-shade and moderately fertile, very well-draned soil. Propagate from seed or stem cuttings in spring or summer.
Stapelia leendertziae: This species grows to 12" tall and has lush, slender, upright stems with 4 angles and indented or winged margins. Hairy, deep purple, bell-shaped flowers bloom in summer on tubes up to 2 1/2" long.