Stapelia gigantea

The giant carrion flower: a clump-forming stem succulent from dry southeastern Africa with huge, hairy, star-shaped flowers that smell of rotting meat. It wants warmth, bright light with some midday shade, a dry cool-season rest and a very gritty mix; cold, wet roots kill it.

At home, aim for

Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Dry bushveld on sandy soil and rocky outcrops with sparse vegetation, often growing in or under open shrubs that give light shade.

About 325–1,100 m in South Africa; the measured median of 390 m is pulled down by naturalised Hawaiian plants.

South AfricaEswatiniMozambiqueZimbabweBotswanaZambiaMalawi

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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More Stapelia

Stapelia hirsuta Stapelia grandiflora Stapelia leendertziae Stapelia flavopurpurea Stapelia pearsonii Stapelia acuminata Stapelia arenosa Stapelia asterias Stapelia cedrimontana Stapelia clavicorona Stapelia concinna Stapelia divaricata All 31 →

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.