Wow! I really love Stapelia. Yours is a beauty 2!!! Does it smell?

I love to look at them but I just can't stand flies. Has yours attracted any yet?

Thanks for posting!!!

The smell is pretty faint but the flies do not seem to care. Once the sun warmed it up there were usually 3-4 hanging out inside. Some of the pics in the album show flies.

It seems posting from this computer always makes doubles: How pleasant.

I fixed the link in the main post going to the gallery! OOOPS

This post was edited by greenmikey on Mon, Sep 9, 13 at 10:13

Why do they always look like a starfish going bunging jumping? I didn't noticed any flies or smell on mine but it was outside about 8 ft. off the ground.
Stush

Hopefully I will get a bloom or two, buts nights are getting colder, still days are hot and sunny. How much cold will hurt the flowering? Under 60 degrees? 55 degrees? 50 degrees? Should I move them inside now anyway.

This post was edited by noki on Mon, Sep 9, 13 at 13:37

Wow, I really don't know myself. Mine have been out till it's getting colder than 40 degrees but I don't know what low temps they can take. Look forward to any answers here.
Stush

40 is about what they like.Maybe a little under.

All good things come to an end. {{gwi:651125}}

I feel like that some days. Just want to curl up and ......

Mikey,

If it's been pollinated, you're going to be the daddy of a set of seed horns.

Can it self pollinate? I only had one bloom and the chances of a close neighbor having similar in bloom isn't super high. Either way, I am jazzed as anything to have even one. The plant only has 4...erm, arms.

I don't know if it can. And those are stems. It's one of those grow-along plants - as one stem or more are dying, two or more are growing onto the ground and will anchor and sustain the plant in time to come. There must be a botanical word for that growth habit, but I don't know it.

Wow, I guess I opened my browser and it decided to post this again.

As a bonus I am going to go take a pic of the inside of the flower that has all the flies and maggots trapped inside.

update: Maggot World was closed to to thunderstorms. :(

This post was edited by greenmikey on Wed, Sep 11, 13 at 17:51

Oh the thunderstorms saved us!! Love the blooms. NOT the MAGGOTS!

Oh, maggots. I've had my Stapelia grandiflora bloom multiple times. It's one of my best indoor succulents. Just last week was the first time I ever had maggots... Barfaroni!!! I swear I almost lost my lunch when I discovered them. The bloom coincided with a bloom on my S. gigantea on the front porch so I moved the grandiflora outside next to the gigantea, hoping the insects would do the dirty work. No luck.

Anyway, maggots... oh, I'm gonna yack.

Every once and a while I wish I had a nicer camera. Sadly, there is no chance for a macro shot. I think everyone will thank me for that though.
{{gwi:651127}}
Welcome to Maggot World.

There are less now after a bunch fell on my porch...oops

GreenMikey,

How big is that bloom tip to tip?

Its been a great summer for Stapelia here. Mine has been blooming like crazy. All three of mine have bloomed at least once, and the one in the hanging basket is on at least its 4th set of blooms.

My first bloom was about 13" tip to tip , but it seems like all the subsequent blooms are a little smaller, at about 8"to 11". Is that typical? This is my first year with them blooming so I don't know.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stepalia Blooms over the last month or two

My only bloom was about 8-9 inches. Of course, I stuck my hand up to it and then measured my hand at school. It was bigger than my hand span so it was easily 9 inches. It had a curl to it so it may have been closer to 9.5"

Beautiful thing.

Edit: WOAH! Check out all those beautiful blooms! Great work.

This post was edited by greenmikey on Wed, Sep 11, 13 at 23:16

Really cool flower. I find the mimic of meat pattern and color quite amazing. Only had one experience with stapelia.

I bought a plant at BBStore because of the nice fuzzy stems. Found it growing so well in my yard..
I was excited when I saw these big buds and couldn't wait for them to open. Had no idea....flowers were neet, the herds of flies, were so not. It was also extremely floriferous and the clouds of flies became too much.

This healthy happy plant went to a more appreciative home.
I will enjoy through other folk's pics.