Scientific Name
Caralluma stalagmifera C.E.C.Fisch.
Common Names
Dark Purple Caralluma
Scientific Classification
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Asclepiadoideae
Tribe: Ceropegieae
Subtribe: Stapeliinae
Genus: Caralluma
Description
Caralluma stalagmifera is a perennial succulent plant up to 16 inches (40 cm) tall, growing in dense clumps. The stems are succulent, hairless, slightly branched, grayish-green with brown mottling, up to 2 feet (60 cm) long, up to 0.8 inch (2 cm) in diameter, square in cross-section with rounded edges. The leaves are small, narrow and triangular or tooth-like, stalkless, up to 0.2 inch (5 mm) long. The flowers are tiny, star-shaped, dark purple with purplish yellow tips. After 8 to 12 days flower color changes to brownish-green.
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Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 10a to 11b: from 30 °F (−1.1 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
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.
The easiest and best way to propagate Stapeliads is from stem cuttings which can be taken virtually throughout the year. Seed is also a method of propagation. They all need extra good drainage. Stapeliads are shallow rooted and a collection of them can be planted up nicely in a wide, shallow bowl. When planting, it is a good idea to allow the roots to be buried in soil and then put pure gravel or sand around the base of the plant to prevent rot… – See more at: How to Grow and Care for Stapeliads
Origin
Native to southern India.
Links
- Back to genus Caralluma
- Succulentopedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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