Stapelia hirsuta

Stapelia hirsuta, starfish flower or carrion plant (scientific name: Stapelia hirsuta) is an evergreen perennial succulent plant native to the Cape region of South Africa in the family Apocynaceae, genus Stapelia. The stem has no leaves or spines and is quadrangular, resembling a cactus, but it is not a cactus. From May to October, it produces balloon-shaped buds like Balloon flower (scientific name: Platycodon grandiflorus) and Cotton , scientific name: Gossypium that break open to produce hairy, human-shaped, reddish-purple flowers. The flowers have the smell of rotting dead flesh. The flowers have a foul odor of dead flesh and attract flies to pollinate them. The genus name 'Stapelia' is a dedication to Dr. Stapel ('ohannes van Stapel'), the Dutch physician who first described it. The species name 'hirsuta' means 'hairy'.

Common name: Stapelia hirsuta, scientific name: Stapelia hirsuta, also known as English rhinoceros horn, Stapelia, Stapelia hirsuta, starfish flower, carrion plant Stapelia hirsuta, evergreen perennial succulent, origin: native to the Cape region of South Africa, plant height: 20 cm, flower diameter: 10-15 cm, flowers: densely covered with reddish-purple hairs, special note: flowers have a foul odor, insectivorous (fly) flowers.