Stapelia gigantea

Growing up to 20 cm (8 in) tall, it is a clump-forming succulent with erect green stems 3 cm (1.2 in) thick. The blooms are large star-shaped five-petalled flowers up to 25 cm (9.8 in) in diameter. 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). The flowers of this plant bloom in the Fall season, triggered by the shorter daylight hours.[3]

They have the smell of rotting flesh,[4] in order to attract the flies which pollinate them. Because of the foul odor of its flower, S. gigantea can act as an appetite suppressant in humans.[5]

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 it.[6] The largeness and color of the flower combined with the carrion smell may serve to make the flies think that it is a dead carcass and be more likely to visit it.[6][7] It has also been proposed that these large flowers could work as thermal regulators, much like the large ears of a Fennec fox.

Since it does not tolerate temperatures below 10 °C (50 °F) for extended periods, this plant must be grown as a houseplant in temperate zones. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[8][9]

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.[10]

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  Flower and Plant
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  Stems
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  Stems
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  Flower and bud