Stapelia Kwebensis * Evergreen Perennial Compact Succulent * Rare * 3 Seeds

3 SEEDS Compact, erect, clump-forming succulent perennial, up to 15 cm. Stems 4-angled or 4-ribbed, tapering at the apex, more or less erect, pubescent, grey-green with tuberculate teeth along the angles. Leaves up to 7 mm, pubescent, narrowly acute with conspicuous pale stipular glands. Flowers subsessile, facing outwards along the stems. Corolla wheel-shaped, or with lobes somewhat reflexed, 15-35 mm in diameter, variably pubescent on the outside and on the apical part of the lobes, otherwise mostly hairless. Lobes ovate-acuminate, convex to slightly reflexed, wrinkled transversely, yellow-brown to dark brown, sometimes tinged greenish. Corona raised inside the shallowly cup-shaped centre of the flower; outer lobes oblong; inner lobes shorter than the anthers. Stapelia kwebensis is an evergreen, succulent, perennial plant looking somewhat like a cactus. It produces a clump of erect, four-angled stems about 15cm tall and 12mm thick. A plant of arid areas in the tropics and subtropics, requiring a period of the year with no rainfall. It is difficult to grow under humid and wet summer rainfall conditions. Grows best in a sunny position, but also succeeds in light shade in hot climates Requires a well-drained soil, preferably on the light side Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5 Generally the plants grow reasonably fast and will flower within 2 - 3 years when grown from seed The plant often forms large colonies in the wild The flowers are foul-smelling, with an aroma reminiscent of the odour of rotting meat