Page 2e. Stapelia gigantea

 

Stapelia gigantea side view of flower


Stapelia gigantea flower close up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stapelia gigantea Dr. N. E. Brown
First discovered around 1860 in Natal this large robust plant is a beaut. The magnificent plant has stems up to 20 cm high which colour up to bronze in full sun and are very decorative in their own right. The flowers are a fantastic 40/45 cm Ø with maroon wrinkles and whitish purple curly hairs. The flies have a bonanza with these flowers but no seed horns have ever appeared.
 Cultivation is fairly difficult so I use the stapeliad

compost mix as previously mentioned.
Propagation is easy from cuttings taken in the summer. Winter care is a problem because the plants are too tall to go in the propagator so I grow them in hanging pots hanging in the warmest part of the greenhouse, which manages 7-9ºC. Re pot every 2 years using the standard stapeliad technique and starting with small plants. The trouble with pots is the lack of root space I'm sure they wood rather be in a large bed.

 

 

 

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