I bought some planters at a garage sale 2 months ago. Some had barely living plants in them, and there was one succulent I had never seen before. It had big dried up clumps hanging over the sides of the pot, so I broke some off and repotted them. Well, it bloomed yesterday, and after some research, there is no doubt in my mind it’s S. gigantea! I'm curious to know how old this plant normally gets before it starts to bloom. I have made 4 new pots from cuttings, but the bloom came on the original plant in the original pot with another 4-5 new buds. I haven't noticed a stink, is that yet to come? How long do the blooms typically last? It is growing outside in the hot Texas sun of the Hill Country (Zone 8b), and gets little water. I love that it’s quite exotic looking, but smelling rotten meat would take all the fun out of it! Can it be used to draw flies away from doorways, etc? Any info will be appreciated!
Sounds perfectly normal for a Stapelia, to me at least. They bloom as soon as they figure they've got a good root system and resources to support the flowers. I'll also confirm your ID for you - that's definitely S. gigantea. You'd have to stick your nose right in there in order to notice the smell..... But flies will note it and be attracted (not quite as strongly as you're hoping, though....) The flower should last about a week or so.
Whew! It's good to know I won't be walking outside to the smell of dead animals everyday, especially since I now have tons of these plants!! Too bad they won't draw the flies away, though. We could make a fortune :) Thanks for your help!
There was a Stapelia here when I took this office. It is an interesting novelty, but I have to move it outdoors when it blooms, it really stinks and you don't have to get you face very close to this one. I moved it outside and the offensive smell was drifting into someone's office about 3 metres away. I don't know what species it is. I guess S. grandiflora.
Eric - S. mutabilis and S. grandiflora are the stinkiest of the genus, so it appears you're right on about the smell.
