6885.000 Stapelia L. - Carrion-flowers

Bruyns, P.V. (2005) Stapeliads of Southern Africa and Madagascar Volume II Umdaus Press, Hatfield, South Africa

Bruyns, P.V., Klak, C. & Hanáček, P. (2017) A revised, phylogenetically-based concept of Ceropegia (Apocynaceae) South African Journal of Botany 112 399-436

Description of the genus

Succulent perennial herbs. Stems pubescent, 4(-6)-angled, with tuberculate teeth on the angles. Leaves fleshy, rudimentary (or 0), at apex of tuberculate teeth with a pair of glands at their base. Inflorescence a pedunculate cyme, usually arising from the base. Flowers usually foetid. Corolla usually deeply lobed, rotate, shallowly cup-shaped or funnel-shaped, usually hairy, in shades of brown, yellow, red and purple. Corona in 2 series, 10-lobed, the 5 outer lobes simple (rarely 2-fid). Follicles fusiform, sparsely pubescent.

Derivation of name: After J.B. Van Stapel, Dutch physician who died in 1636.

Comment: More recent phylogenetic evidence has led to the forming of a very broad concept of the genus Ceropegia including the genus Brachystelma and all known genera within the Stapeliae (Bruyns, P.V., Klak, C. & Hanáček, P., 2017). However we follow Goyder et Al. in Flora Zambesiaca 7(2), 2020 where the inclusion of the Stapeliad genera has not been accepted.

Worldwide: 44 species in tropical and South Africa

Mozambique: 4 taxa.

The larvae of the following species of insect eat species of this genus:
Danaus chrysippus (African monarch)
Stapelia getliffei

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
getliffei R. PottGIDescription, Image
gigantea N.E. Br.Z,MS,GI,MDescription, Image
kwebensis N. E. Br.GIDescription, Image
unicornis C.H. Luckh.[NrEnd]M

Other sources of information about Stapelia:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Stapelia
Flora of Malawi: Stapelia
Flora of Zambia: Stapelia
Flora of Zimbabwe: Stapelia
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Stapelia

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Stapelia
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Stapelia
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Stapelia
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Stapelia
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Stapelia
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Stapelia
JSTOR Plant Science: Stapelia
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Stapelia
Plants of the World Online: Stapelia
Tropicos: Stapelia
Wikipedia: Stapelia

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave 2007-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Mozambique: Genus page: Stapelia.
https://www.mozambiqueflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1158, retrieved 28 March 2024

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