Stapelia Leendertziae goes by the common name Carrion Flower. This succulent is bell-shaped. The plant originates in South Africa and Zimbabwe and belongs to the family of Apocynaceae. This winter-dormant agave plant can grow up to any height between 20 to 30cm.
Growth Rate
Along with being frost tolerant and an easy to cultivate succulent, the carrion flower also grows and produces flowers at a moderately fast pace.
Flowering
Flowering is the only reason Carrion Flower is known to be an extremely unique specie. You will witness unusually large deep reddish to dark purple colored flowers growing.
Watering and Feeding
Water the flowers rigorously during their growing season and entirely withdraw watering during the winter season. If needed, feed Stapelia Leendertziae with a liquid fertilizer.
Soil
Prepare a gritty compost and if you want to go the extra mile, use a clay pot since Stapelia Leendertziae is a delicate plant. To avoid a fungal attack, you can use a mineral-only compost.
Hardiness
Stapelia Leendertziae grows best in the summer season. Talking about its frost tolerance, it is anywhere between -6.7° C (20° F) to 10° C (50° F). Its zone of hardiness is 9a to 11b.
Light
While Stapelia Leendertziae does not mind the full and bright sun, it does particularly well in partial shade. Especially in a hot climate, keep them away from direct sun.
Propagation
Propagate through a stem that you have allowed to dry for a day. Once planted in a gritty compost, let it root from the underside of the stems.
Remember that the plant has a very strong carrion-like odor that attracts a lot of beautiful bees for pollination. Especially in its growing season, you will not only witness beautiful flowers but also small bees on them!
Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com, llifle.com and cactus-art.biz
