View From Casita Colibrí

Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Nature & Science | Tagged carrion plant, Casita Colibrí, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Stapelia gigantia, succulents | 5 Comments

5 Responses

1. on May 10, 2011 at 7:42 pm | Reply Gordon Fox

   Yup. This plant and its relatives all have flowers that smell like rotting meat, rotting garbage, or animal shit. They’re from regions of Africa in which bees aren’t particularly abundant — and they’re all fly-pollinated.

   First time I owned one of these, I was living in Tucson. I came home one day and the house just reeked. I thought we’d failed to take out the garbage one day too long . . . wrong. Then I remembered: the Stapelia had been budding. I went to the windowsill, and the fabulous flower was open, and there were dozens of flies on the screen, desperately trying to get to it. After that, the plant lived outside. I still have it, but it doesn’t flower much in Florida, alas.

   
   
2. on May 10, 2011 at 7:59 pm | Reply spixl

   Glutton for punishment, that I am (or, at least, smelly plants), I’m trying to propagate it. Any suggestions?

   
   
   • on May 16, 2011 at 5:02 pm | Reply Gordon Fox

     Easy. Break off a piece. Let it dry for, say, a week. Stick it in some soil (soil w/ a lot of sand). Don’t water it until it shows signs of growing, since it won’t have any roots yet and the tissue in wet soil will just rot.

     Might want to do it w/ several pieces (since some of them will die). And larger pieces are more likely to root. If you have any “rooting powder” (often sold as “Rootone”) handy, you can dip the end in it before planting, but it’s not necessary.

     This basic method works for pretty much all succulents and cacti.

     
     
     • on May 16, 2011 at 9:11 pm spixl

       !Mil gracias! Must wait for dry weather… spectacular thunder, lightening, and torrential downpours last night and tonight. I can hardly hear myself think!

       
       
3. on September 20, 2011 at 3:08 pm | Reply Orb weavers « View From Casita Colibrí

   […] chosen the perfect site for her home — in the garden’s previously blogged about, Stinky plant, attracting flies (aka, Stalpelia gigantea). LD_AddCustomAttr("AdOpt", "1"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Origin", "other"); […]

   
   

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