Another Stapelia NoID

I received this plant as Stapelia grandiflora back in November 2017 and bloomed a year later, when the plant has already developed into a sizable clump. Upon seeing the first flower, I was immediately under the impression that the identification was incorrect, and was reminded instead of S. unicornis, a species similar to the popular S. gigantea, but with smaller flowers and a bowl-like interior. Today, two flowers opened simultaneously, and I am still not sure what this could be.

Stapelia unicornis is so-named by virtue of its inner corona lobes that are in contact with one another and giving the impression of a central horn. I could not find this feature in the flowers on my plant, although it does share the erose (appearing as if gnawed) margins. I must suppose then that this plant is possibly a hybrid involving S. unicornis and probably S. gigantea. It has the stem proportions and bowl-like flower interior of the former, with the prominent transverse ridges on the corolla similar to S. gigantea. Whether this is a hybrid produced from a chance crossing of two different species or from a greenhouse, I may never know. But this is a very easily grown plant and thrives under full sun with plenty of watering, and so I really cannot complain. The stems are very crowded, low-growing, and vigorous. The flowers, although also emitting a fetid odor like most stapelias, have a much weaker scent. It is usual to find maggots and ants crawling around as the buds open in my other stapelias, but the same cannot be said to this one, where only ants are more apt to be observed foraging even after hours after the buds popped open.

If you, the reader, have any idea what this plant may be, then I urge you to do let me know!