Stapelia grandiflora – Starfish Cactus, Carrion Flower

The Star Fish cactus flower, also known as carrion flowers, are cactus-like succulents with four-angled, coarsely toothed, spineless stems. Stapelia grandiflora is a low, perennial succulent; the stems, surface, and branching make them immediately recognizable. The stems are almost always erect and are usually uniformly green to reddish, depending on the extent of exposure to the sun. The stems branch near the base and form spreading clumps up to 2 ft tall; the stems are not much to look at, but the flowers are remarkable.

They are usually 3-10 inches across and usually flattened and shaped like five-pointed stars with a conspicuous round disk in the center. The fleshy petals are often fringed with tiny hairs. Flowers are colored with reds, yellows, browns, and purples, and many are spotted, barred, or mottled.

Carrion flowers are native to arid, usually rocky deserts in tropical and southern Africa, where they often grow in the partial shade of larger plants or rocks. Many of the species are confined to the Cape region of South Africa.  Starfish Cactus usually are grown in containers and given a distinct cool, dry rest period in winter and require bright light, but most should not have full sun in the summer. Many species do well in partial shade. Flowers do well with light to moderate watering during the growing season, but must be kept dry during the winter. The soil must be extremely well drained, as the stems are prone to rotting if they stay moist. They are very tolerant of extreme heat, but must be protected from frost.

Propagate from cuttings taken in spring or summer. Allow pieces of stem to callus  7-10 days, and then plant in semi-dry soil.

There’s always something blooming at Rice Canyon!

Aloe africana  – African Aloe

Aloe africana is native to the summer moist coastal Eastern Cape in South Africa where it grows within thickets of shrubs from sea level to nearly 1,000 feet in elevation. This aloe is a solitary often unbranched small tree-like aloe usually grows up to 6 feet with rosettes densely crowded with gracefully arching 2 foot long lance-shaped thick grayish blue-green leaves that have prominent sharp red teeth along the margins and in a row running along the middle of the lower surface with older leaves skirting the trunk.  Flowering on this species can happen at other times but most often in mid-winter to early spring  (January – March) with an un-branched to few-branched 2 to 3 foot inflorescence of erect long-tapering terminal spikes of flowers that are orange in bud and turn yellow just prior to opening from the bottom of the spike upward.

The individual flowers are held in a downward inclination but uniquely turn upward toward the tips, making identification of this species quite easy.  Plant in full sun in well-drained soil and irrigate regularly to very little – though from a climate that gets little frost and more summer moisture within its natural range, it adapts well to our Mediterranean summer dry climate with only infrequent summer irrigation and temperatures down to 25°F.   This is a great plant that can be used as a focal point like a small tree aloe and under-planted with other succulents.  Keep it back from the path as the teeth are sharp,  catch clothing,  and cut the skin;  in flower,  it is sensational and also very attractive to bees and hummingbirds.