This beauty appeared a couple of mornings ago in one of my succulent pots. I have bonsai pots filled with succulents and cacti that have all come from cuttings I've collected from friends and strangers gardens. I have no idea of the names of any of them! The underside of the petals is green, and when i first noticed the flower bud, I just assumed it was a new succulent I'd collected and forgotten about. I was amazed and delighted the following morning to see that it had opened into this!
I've found out that it's a Stapeliad (Orbea variagata) of the Asclepiad family. I think so anyway! They're found mainly in South Africa and Madagascar. The following link is worth a look, there are heaps of photos of stapeliads and they are some of the most stunning and varied flowers I've ever seen. There are even digital macro photos (nearly 30!) of flies pollinating different flowers. A most impressive site. http://anti-matter-3d.com/Stapeliads/St ... index.html
Wow, that's a beauty! I really like the brown-and-white pattern. Congratulations on your bloom. I've only had one on my Stapelia, and that's reddish. The smell is awful, so I'm not certain that I miss the blooms.
I have this one and it bloomed back in Sept. It is a Stapelia but it is the kind that doesn't smell like rotting meat.It is also called a Starfish Flower.
Wow, you had heaps of flowers on yours Glendann. I must have a 'non-stinky' variety too, which is good because i'm hoping for more blooms. The climate in South Africa is pretty much the same as the region of Australia that i live in, so i'm confidant that mother nature will just 'do her thing!'
I didn't have a clue what mine was and cajunbelle told me from the Stew.Its a carron plant is why they usually smell like rotten meat and it kind of looks like meat too.It draws the flies to it.
