Stapelia gigantea - Carrion Plant - Zulu Giant

Stapelia gigantea is an amazingly unique succulent in that the flowers are quite foul smelling when you get very close. They are native to South Africa and Tanzania. They have adapted to use flies as pollinators instead of the usual butterfly or bee! They grow into a cluster a couple feet wide but only about 12 inches tall. They have huge flowers They handle the Phoenix summers very well but prefer afternoon shade in the worst of Summer. These African succulents are not frost hardy and need to be protected from frosts. This is a well rooted cutting from my collection. The last picture is the mother plant in my front yard, showing its beautiful flower :) Happy gardening!