Re: off topic! Cactus (D:Stapelia gigantea)
Dear Sean & all
Also being a fan of the weird & the wonderful I grow this strange
beauty.Last September it produced nine blooms each looking like some thing
out of the Rocky Horror show. - Yes flies the love the smell & so do
cats.....
Veronica
London - warmish & wet but spring is definitely coming.
----- Original Message -----
From: Sean A. O'Hara <sean.ohara@groupmail.com>
To: <cdills@charter.net>; <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: 05 March 2001 18:50
Subject: Re: off topic! Cactus (D:Stapelia gigantea)
> At 08:34 PM 3/3/01 -0700, Charles Dills wrote:
> >I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I have been asked to identify four
> >cacti and a monocot. And I have no idea what they are. If anyone knows
> >them or has an idea of how I can find out, please respond to me
privately.
> >And thanks for any help. I would be glad to offer this service to any of
you.
> > You can find them at:
> >
> > http://www.charlies-web.com/nonbrompuzzles/unknown.html
>
> Charles -
>
> your 'Cactus D' is Stapelia gigantea, also known as S. nobilis. The stems
> are somewhat soft, silky in texture, with a flat-winged 4-cross section.
I
> don't really recall any 'thorns', though there are rudimentary 'leaves'
> that dry immediately. The flowers are large in relation to the plant,
> star-shaped, opening from a balloon-like bud. They are pale, sickly
yellow
> with dull reddish maroon cross-band stripes or stippling, and a sparse
> covering of maroon hairs. They emit a strong smell of carrion upon
> opening, which fades gradually through the life of the flower (I think the
> flowers last a couple of days). If there are any flies within 20 miles,
> they come to visit this new treat. Maggots canusually be found at the
> flower center before it fades!!!
>
> Here are some flower photos:
> http://www.battersbyornamental.com/cactus.htm
> http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week048.shtml
> http://www.texasriviera.com/gthumbs2/00sept5-2.html
>
> As a connoisseur of weird and strange plants, I have grown this myself.
it
> likes a far amount of heat, good bright light (not necessarily strong,
> direct sunlight), and very well drained soil. It should be grown very dry
> or else it will rot. Easy to propagate from healed stem cuttings. A
great
> curiosity around the world - I saw many pots of this plant on balconies
and
> stems in southern Italy! People always love weird stuff!
>
> Stapeliads, a group of the Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed family) from Africa
> named for this genus, are interesting plants. Old world cactus-mimics,
> they are an example of convergent evolution of divergent species adapting
> to similar conditions. I have long been looking for a species in this
> group that would tolerate being grown out-of-doors in a fast-draining soil
> here in the Bay Area, as an exhibit in a succulent garden I deal with here
> in Oakland. Stapelia (Orbea) variegata is a very easy relation to
Charles'
> plant, much smaller in flower and stem, and not so smelly, but also not as
> dramatic. If anyone knows of a species in the group that I might try,
> please suggest! Meanwhile, if anyone has a good form of Stapelia (Orbea)
> variegata that they can share cuttings from, I'm interested!
>
> Regards,
> Sean O.
>
>
> h o r t u l u s a p t u s - 'a garden suited to its purpose'
> Sean A. O'Hara fax (707) 667-1173 sean.ohara@groupmail.com
> 710 Jean Street, Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
>
