I love these blooms and always find myself running for a camera when they start blooming.
Wondering if anyone else suffers that same affliction. If so, we'd like to see your blooms please...
Stapelia asterias ~ since this has opened, it has three more open. Sure made the GH smell like dead meat tonight.
The bloom of a hybrid Stap. This one delivers blooms throughout the summer and into fall.
Orbea semota lutea
Huernia schneideriana ( I believe ) I call it Huernia Larkie for the DGr that shared it with me.
This plant grows lengthy and blooms freely throughout summer.
Note the bloom spurs which keep growing longer as the plant produces bloom after bloom.
I have a few more and impatiently awaiting blooms.
I'd love to look at others blooms if you have photos to share...
Excellent to see. It is certainly a family of flowers like no others.
A favorite and a weakness of mine.
And here I am, hoping to inspire others to share the misery... lol
Orbea caudata
I am miserable right along with you Pod== have bloom spikes forming now-- will post pics when they pop!
Isn't this misery fun!?!!
It's just over too quick...
Stapelia gigantea
My misery is not as progressed as yours-- but definately coming along ^_^
I literally ran out to take a pic right now before its too late of my S. grandiflora in the garden - enjoy!
Next to it is an Iris blooming - not sure if its trying to cover its nose! LOL
This is what I mean by nearly too late - hehe! Goodnight!
Very nice--sweet dreams!
Beautiful! I just got a cutting of Gigantea and along with a Huernia but I already have a Huernia. None are blooming yet but your pictures make me anxious.
Okay, not whatch'ou'd call beautiful, but I'm very happy to have this plant (just acquired this year) and to have it regularly flowering. This is a relative to Stapelia also in the Asclepiadoideae: Sarcostemma socotranum Lavranos
Flowering for me just today after flowering at least once before this season, 4 weeks ago. It's a... hmm... masculine flower, don't you think? Not showy. Utilitarian.
Oh! And it's fragrant... floral, almost rose-like.
--
dean
http://sentientmeat.net/
featuring Succulent Sunday plant profiles
open to your suggestions
Awww it's so cute!!
Here is my S. gigantea that was blooming last week.
Little_Things ~ I love the S grandiflora and am green with envy that you can leave them in ground there.
LOL ~ on the poor Iris having to endure the fragrance of the Stapelia. Cute!
Tikipod ~ there are different Huernia. Perhaps you have a couple of different ones but won't know till they deliver blooms.
Dean ~ I do like the bloom on your Sarcostemma socotranum Lavranos. That is a new one for me. The bloom is attractive but not sure about the scrawny plant... no offense meant. May I ask where you found it?
But if it smells good it must be feminine. Is it a strong fragrance?
Smashed, I loved that S gigantea photo. Too twisted...
Stapelia divaricata
This message was edited Nov 10, 2011 10:06 PM
I have H. hislopii and H. schneideriana ^_^ I meant to say "but I also have another huernia plant."
What is interesting it that I am beginning summer and you begin winter!?? My others are not flowering, either too young or not the right time...Love the Orbea and this last Stapelia.
Huernia hislopii made me go look. That is one Huernia I haven't paid attention to before. Fun, fun, fun!
None are blooming yet but your pictures make me anxious.
That Orbea is really special. I love that one also ~ Little_Things.
It IS interesting that your S. grandiflora is blooming at this time of year for you. These plants always bloom far more for me in the fall of the year. I've wondered if it is triggered by cooler temps or shorter days or ?
And I've often wondered what will help generate more blooms on these plants. I do know the Stapelias bloom better on new growth.
Where does everyone get their Stapelias at? The local nursery only had one Huernia and only recently have I seen a Stapelia (which was priced beyond my means.)
LOL Podster! I'm not worried about the smell all that much. I have an extremely gassy dog and a cat who can clear the HOUSE (after using his litter box.)
LOL ~ ahhh but doesn't your gassy dog clean up after that cat? LOL Sorry....
I picked up a few Stapeliads on ebay over the years. Don't recall where my first "hooked" S. gigantea came from.
These are reputed to be easy to start from seed and Mesa has an assortment. Just never have been inspired by seeds. I like instant gratification!
>_> Should I mention I have 5 stapelia seedlings from seeds I bought from Mesa?
Good for you! Please keep me posted on how long they take to develop to mature, blooming plants?
After all, I am probably a bit older than you... 8 )
I saw this delightful Orbea bloom in a blog last fall and spent the winter lusting and looking.
Still haven't found this one ~ grrrr! and still lusting after it.
Podster, I just got a Duvalia corderoyi - another genus you may want to look at...cannot wait for the flowers. I also have a few Huernia and Stapelia from seed and at a year, they might bloom from next year or so...growing pretty fast right now. The Hoodia gordonii is also growing faster, but lagging behind the rest of the babies.
There you go... getting me in trouble. (Like I need any help.)
This time of year the GH is stuffed but I always start looking for more succulents.
I will look at some of those suggestions too. Thanks...
Wonderful thread! Thanks for starting it Podster, I look forward to following it.
A colleague gave me a stapelia when I lived in Maine but it didn't flower before I came back home to the UK and I had to leave it behind (with all my darling Sansevierias). I got my Orbea gigantea from ebay and one of the other two stapelias - the other which was mis-labeled from a garden centre here.
Here's my S gigantea which is flowering at the moment.
S flavirostris is amazing! The flies loved this one. I have to grow my plants as houseplants up here in the north east of England. My jaw always drops when I see those wonderful photos of these plants growing outside :)
I recently went to the Huntington Garden in so calif--- they had a huge patch of Stapelia (in ground) blooming like crazy and other huge succulents that made my jaw drop. And then I went to Home Depot out there and they had gallon succulents for 2.99!! I bought an Aeonium nobile and a 2 gal Jatropha podagrica --getting them home was the tricky part. Almost makes me want to move back!
I love Orbea gigantea - the flower simply doesn't look real.
Yes I so wish I'd had the chance to travel west when I lived in the US as I've always loved desert-type plants.
Here's my last plant - Orbea ciliata which is just fascinating to watch!
Just amazing how such understated plants can produce these wonderful overstated flowers! Love the orbea's kniphofia.
I really like the macro photos of your blooms Kniphofia! They are lovely, as always.
I watch some of the ebay sellers of these plants and many are in the UK and Mediterranean areas. They have such delightful varieties. I think I would be even more tempted to live there and shop for these succulents.
I always scour the succulent plant displays at the box stores and have yet to find one of these guys for sale. Reckon why? They do have pretty foliage. I like the velvety texture of the Stapelias and find the mottled coloring on the stems of the Orbeas quite attractive.
My guess is they sell what the grower provides. I wonder if asking both the store and the grower might help.
I plan to ask my favorite nursery :) they will order in plants.
Having just "retired" from Home Depot garden department-- The plants (and quantities) for sale this coming spring have already been selected and ordered. The vendor that handles plants when they arrive has some discretion on the "house plants"-- but even then they have to "pick" from a list provided by the contracted nursery. That includes the grafted and crested plants in the decorative pots. The 2.5 to 6" (and a few 10") cactus and succulents in the plain plastic, arrive for the most part already on a display ready to sell, these come from Altmans. It is alwas a surprise to open the crates, but midwest HD's seem to have only minor variations on a theme.
An independent nursery or a smaller chain would have greater chances of getting a requested plant.
Gran ~ retired? For the season or permanently?
I think so many of these types of plants are what are commonly called 'passalong' plants. Shared by others or passed on through the generations.
I really wonder how they determine marketing in the plant world, how they know what will sell.
