Explore different Stapelia varieties with unique star-shaped flowers, bold patterns, and fascinating scents perfect for any succulent collection.
Stapelia varieties are unique succulents known for their star-shaped flowers and unusual scents. These eye-catching plants come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Some have bold patterns, while others trail or form clumps. Easy to grow, they make a great choice for succulent lovers and add charm to any collection.
Best Stapelia Varieties
1. Giant Toad Plant ‘Stapelia grandiflora’
The Stapelia grandiflora, also called the Giant Toad Plant, is known for its large, star-shaped flowers. These flowers look beautiful and interesting, but they have a strange smell like rotting meat. That’s why the plant is also called the Carrion Flower. Even with its odd smell, many people love it for its eye-catching, starfish-like blooms. It’s a great plant to spark conversation in any garden or indoor space.
2. Stapelia scitula
Stapelia scitula, also called the “Small Starfish Flower,” is a small succulent with light green, curved stems that have four angles and grow up to 6 inches tall. This plant goes dormant in winter and comes from the Western Cape. It’s part of the Asclepiadaceae family. To get its star-shaped flowers to bloom, it usually needs warm, humid weather or a special greenhouse setup.
3. Stapelia orbea variegata lepida
Orbea lepida (also known as Stapelia lepida) is a soft-stemmed, long-living succulent from the Asclepiadaceae family. It looks very similar to Orbea variegata, but there are a few differences. Its stems are green instead of having a bluish-gray look, and its flowers are much smaller and look different. The flower stems often grow in pairs.
The flowers are greenish-yellow to pale yellow, with purple-brown spots and a lighter ring (called an annulus) around the center, which also has small purple spots. The flower’s inner parts have slightly different shapes—one part is pointed, and the other is blunt.
Even though it looks slightly different, it’s hard to tell Orbea lepida apart from Orbea variegata just by looking at the plant. Because of this, Orbea lepida is no longer considered a separate species and is now seen as the same plant as Orbea variegata.
4. Stapelia Guttata (Huernia Guttata)
This smaller plant is usually called a Huernia instead of a Stapelia. Its stems grow up to 7.5 cm tall and form clumps rather than trailing. It blooms in summer, producing shiny yellow flowers with red spots that give off a light smell like spoiled meat. For best growth, place it in morning sun and afternoon shade, and water it more often during the summer.
5. Black Bells (Stapelia leendertziae)
Stapelia leendertziae, also known as the Carrion Flower, is a succulent with bell-shaped flowers. It comes from South Africa and Zimbabwe and is part of the Apocynaceae family. This plant rests during the winter and can grow to a height of 20 to 30 cm.
6. Stapelia Dummeri (Orbea dummeri)
This is a very small type of Stapelia that does best in terracotta pots because it’s a delicate plant. Its stems have four angles, soft spines, and red stripes over a grey-green color. The small flowers are hairy and colored olive green to yellow. The stems can grow up to about 10 cm tall, but as they get longer, they start to trail. Growing it in a raised garden bed or container gives it plenty of space to spread out.
7. Stapelia orbea variegata star fish plant
Orbea variegata, also called the Starfish Plant, Carrion Plant, or Starfish Cactus, is a succulent from South Africa in the Asclepiadaceae family. It grows upright with branching stems that form small clumps and can reach about 10 cm tall.
The flowers look like starfish and are greenish-yellow with brown spots or patches. They usually bloom in late summer or fall. This plant can handle a little frost and grows quickly when given the right care. Since it goes dormant in summer, it does best in light shade to full sun during its growing season.
8. Carrion Plant – Stapelia gigantea
Stapelia gigantea, also known by several names like carrion flower, starfish plant, toad plant, and Zulu giant, is a type of Stapelia that comes from South Africa. It’s famous for having some of the biggest flowers of any succulent in the world.
The name “carrion flower” comes from the smell of its blooms, which is similar to rotting meat. The word “carrion” means dead and decaying flesh and comes from the Latin word caro, meaning flesh. This strong smell helps attract flies, which pollinate the flowers.
