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Stapeliads
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he Stapeliads are a group of plants belonging to the Asclepidaceae family. Most widely known plants from this group are the Hoyas. Stapeliads are found on the African continent and are mostly found in arid to semi arid environments. There are many hundreds if not over a thousand species in a number of genera including Stapelia and Huernia.
The family is best known for two striking characteristics, the first being the distinctive 5 pronged flower that appears like a star fish in many cases hence the common name for the family is star fish flower. The second characteristic sets this group apart from most other plants is its incredible perfumed aroma that exceed from the flowers, it is so captivating that flies will travel huge distances in order to be intoxicated by the scent, blow flies will leave rotting carcasses and lay their larva on the flowers. Unlike most other plants that use colour or sweet scents or nectar to induce insects to come and pollinate the flowers, the stapeliad use pungent odours to attract insects that are attracted to rotting materials.
Stapelia gigantia Huge flowers up to 30cm across are produced over the summer months |
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Huernia zebrina Amazing 5cm flowers are produced over the summer months on short compact stems.
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Stapeliads are relatively easy to grow. They should be treated as an outdoor plant as they will easily rot indoors and cannot flower without exposure to outdoor temperature fluctuations. They should be grown under cover so that watering can be controlled. They require a reasonable amount of sunlight to promote flowering and maintain a well shaped plant. Very shady positions will produce very poor flowering. Stapeliads come from climates where they survive extremely high temperatures in the summer months so most growth is in spring and autumn, with flowering in autumn when the weather starts to cool down.
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