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| Stapelia variegata flower on my windowsill in Hayes, 6 December 2012. |
This is a South African plant consisting of inconspicuous green succulent stems. It's easy to grow; this one sits outside on my balcony all summer. The flowers are very showy, and quite lovely to look at.
To look at, they are lovely. But Stapelias are known as Carrion Flowers for a good reason. They smell of rotting meat, and are pollinated by blowflies.
The flowers hang low, and I didn't spot this one straight away. It was facing towards the light of the window, of course, and half hidden behind the pot. But when I did see it, it explained the odd odour I had noticed the day before .. I had been wondering if my cat had brought in a little present for me and left it in some hidden spot.
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| Stapelia variegata flower on my windowsill in Hayes, 6 December 2012. Centre detail. |
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| Stapelia variegata flower on my windowsill in Hayes, 6 December 2012. Detail of a petal. |
Actually, the books say that the colour and texture of the petals resembles rotting meat. I'm not so sure of that. But it's good enough for the blowflies, which sometimes lay eggs on it. I don't have a picture of that. That's a pity in a way, but I'm happy not to have egg-laying blowflies in the house.
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| Stapelia variegata flower on my windowsill in Hayes, 6 December 2012. Back view. |
Slack-jawed in amazement - it's like a flower in a flower in a flower in a flower, and the petal detail is stunning - are the colors integral to the structure or do they smear with touch?
ReplyDeleteAnd to think every cell of every part has the same DNA.
Um...too bad about the scent...
The colour is built in and doesn't rub off. Not that I try rubbing it very often; it's not a scent you want about your person!
ReplyDelete