Scientific Name
Stapelia glanduliflora Masson
Common Names
Glandular Stapelia, Glandular Flowered Stapelia
Synonyms
Gonostemon glanduliflorus, Stapelia hispidula, Stissera glanduliflora, Stissera hispidula, Stisseria glanduliflora
Scientific Classification
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Asclepiadoideae
Tribe: Stapeliae
Genus: Stapelia
Description
Stapelia glanduliflora is a succulent plant with fleshy, erect, four-angled stems that bear rows of tubercles. Each tubercle bears a tiny, rudimentary leaf. It usually grows in small clumps. The stems are up to 0.7 inches (1.8 cm) in diameter and covered in minute soft hairs. Flowers are pale greenish-yellow with fine purplish marks, densely covered in stiff, white, club-shaped hairs, particularly towards the center and edges. Each flower is up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm) across, composed of 5 outer lobes and 5 short inner lobes, yellowish and margined with red-brown.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 9a to 11b: from 20 °F (−6.7 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Several species are fairly easy to grow. Others, often those with slightly hairy stems and the more unusual flowers, are more challenging and require careful watering (with some fertilizer) during the growing season and complete withdrawal of water during the winter months. A minimum winter temperature of 10°C (50°F) is acceptable, providing that plants are kept dry. A heated growing bench or incubator may help delicate plants to get through the colder months. However, many species live under shrubs in habitat and prefer light shade rather than full sun.
A gritty compost is essential, and clay pots are advisable for the more delicate species. Some growers prefer a mineral-only compost to minimize the chance of a fungal attack on the roots. A layer of grit on the surface of the compost prevents moisture from accumulating around the base of the stems.
Keeping Stapelias and their roots free of pests such as mealybugs is the real key to success as fungal attack often occurs due to damage to stems by insects. See more at: How to Grow and Care for Stapelia.
Origin
Native to South Africa.
Links
- Back to genus Stapelia
- Succulentopedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
