Stapelia is a perennial succulent plant with fleshy shoots and surprisingly beautiful flowers. Due to the shape of the flowers, similar to the motley star, it is popularly called the "Order Star" or "Starfish". The plant belongs to the Kutrov family. Its homeland is South and South-West Africa, where the flower lives near ponds and in forests on the mountain slopes. Like most succulents, stapelia grows with virtually no care, so it is suitable for lazy or busy gardeners.
Botanical Description
Stapelia is a perennial plant of compact size. The height of adult specimens ranges from 10-60 cm. It has an underdeveloped, superficial root system. The ground part consists of branched ribbed processes with smooth skin. Curved fleshy shoots are painted bright green with yellowish or pink spots and a whitish waxy coating. They have 4-6 faces of varying degrees of severity, along which relief protrusions are located, similar to short, hooked spines.
Very interesting is the flowering of stapelia, which occurs most often in the summer. First, large airy buds the size of a chicken egg are formed. They are located in the lower part of the shoot, although they can be located on its top. Each flower has its own long drooping peduncle. The buds bloom in bell-shaped or flat five-petalled flowers. Their diameter is 5-30 cm. The bases of the fleshy petals fuse into a central funnel. Often in the middle is a meaty roll. On the entire surface of the petals or only along the edge are long glandular villi of white or light pink color. Coloring of flowers can be motley yellow-burgundy, lemon or red-orange.
Flowers are very unusual and beautiful, but at the same time exude a very unpleasant, fetid smell. This is due to the fact that the main pollinators are flies. Only they are able to reach the pollen sacs. After pollination, the seeds ripen in fleshy seed boxes for a very long time, the process can take up to a year or more.
Popular types of slipway
According to international classification, there are 56 species in the genus stapelia. Many of them are very decorative due to the unusual shape of the flowers.
Large-flowered stapelia. This perennial succulent grows tetrahedral green shoots. Often they branch from the bottom. In the lower part of the stem in summer, a flower forms on a long, flexible peduncle. Its lanceolate petals resemble a starfish in shape. The diameter of the corolla reaches 15-25 cm. Petals of purple or burgundy color are densely covered with long silver villi. Flowering lasts 2-5 days. During this period, an unpleasant aroma is practically absent.
Stapelia motley. The plant has fleshy bright green stems, which in section form an almost regular circle. Hooked teeth are located along the smoothed ribs. The height of the compact shoot does not exceed 10 cm. In summer bright colorful flowers bloom with a diameter of 5-8 cm. They are painted in yellow or cream color, against which contrasting brown or maroon spots are visible. The flattened corolla in the center has a convex ring, which is framed by triangular petals. The unpleasant odor during flowering is quite strong. The plant easily adapts to adverse conditions.
Starapelia star-shaped. The tetrahedral shoots of the plant do not exceed 20 cm in height. They are covered with a smooth greenish skin with pink or light purple stains. Tiny cloves are located along the borders. Flowers are grouped by 1-3 pieces at the base of the sprouts. They have long, thin pedicels. An open star-shaped nimbus is 5-8 cm in diameter. The petals are strongly dissected and twisted backward along the longitudinal axis. Flowers have a glossy, bumpy surface. The villi are grouped along the lateral margins. The color of the flower consists of red, orange and yellow shades.
Stapelia ferruginous. The height of this succulent does not exceed 15 cm. It has ribbed light green stems. During flowering, up to three flowers bloom at once. They are located at the base of the shoot on long drooping peduncles. The diameter of the lemon-yellow flower does not exceed 5 cm. Its surface is covered with many long pale pink or whitish villi. Translucent processes end with a thickening at the end.
Gigantic stapelia. The plant has long fleshy shoots with deep vertical notches. During flowering, it blossoms the largest buds, whose diameter reaches 35 cm. The hairy five-petal flower is painted in a creamy yellow hue with subtle burgundy strokes. The edges of the petals are greatly narrowed and elongated. Often the tips are twisted in a spiral. When flowering, the plant exudes an intense smell of rotting meat.
Stapelia golden purple. The height of the fleshy ribbed shoots of dark green color does not exceed 10 cm. The flowers bloom in the upper part of the stems and gather 1-3 buds. The diameter of the corolla is about 4 cm. It resembles a flat starfish with narrow, highly dissected tentacles. The surface of the petals is covered with small tubercles and painted in light green or yellowish color. The center contrasts with the peaks. It is densely covered with a pinkish pile and painted in white and purple shades. The aroma of flowers of this variety is quite pleasant, although weak.
Breeding methods
Reproduction of stapelia is carried out by seeds and cuttings. Freshly harvested, well-ripened seeds are sown immediately in moist sandy peat soil. They are distributed on the surface, pressed and lightly crushed with sand. The tank is sprayed daily from a spray bottle. The first shoots can be observed after 22-28 days. Seedlings 1-1.5 cm high dive in disposable cups or small pots with soil for succulents. The next transplant is performed in a year.
Stapelia is easily propagated by cuttings. To do this, cut a lateral process 3-5 cm high in the spring with a carefully cleaned blade. The cut site of the cuttings and the mother plant is crushed with charcoal. Before planting, the stalks are dried in air for a day, and then rooted in sand and peat soil. It is enough to push the stem into the soil and create support for it. After the appearance of the roots, the plant is transplanted into a light fibrous earth from a mixture of turf, sheet soil, charcoal and river sand.
Planting and care at home
Stapelia is a rather fragile plant, so the transplant must be carried out very carefully. In order not to break the roots, they use the transshipment method with the preservation of an earthen coma. The best time to transplant is spring. Perform the procedure once every 1-3 years. At the same time, dry and old shoots can be removed, and a large bush can be divided into several parts.
The pot should be shallow, but wide enough. At a third height it is filled with drainage material (expanded clay, pebbles, fragments of red brick). The free space between the roots and walls is filled with soil with a neutral or slightly acid reaction. The soil should contain a large amount of river sand, as well as turf land and a handful of charcoal. Immediately after planting, the slipway must be put in place with diffused lighting. Refrain from watering for a week. When the flower adapts to the new soil, they begin to moisten the soil with caution.
Home care for the slipway is not difficult. With the right location, the flower does not need excessive attention. If it is excessively protected, often watered and rearranged from place to place, it can become sick.
Lighting. Stapelia needs bright intense lighting. It can be placed on the southern, western and eastern windowsills, but in the summer it can be shaded from the midday sun. Excess light and exposure to direct sunlight causes burns. They appear dry brown spots on the leaves. Even reddening of the stems is the first signal of a problem. In winter, the northern rooms may need additional lighting.
Temperature. In spring and summer, the optimum air temperature is + 22 ... + 26 ° C. You can take the flower to the balcony, but carefully protect it from drafts. In November-February, it is necessary to provide the plant with a rest period. At this time, it must be kept in a well-lit, cool room (+ 14 ... + 16 ° C). Cooling below + 12 ° C is not allowed.
Humidity. Like any succulent, stapelia tolerates dry air well. She does not need additional spraying. Infrequent bathing under a warm shower is allowed, however, during the flowering period, they should be abstained. When swimming, you need to protect the soil from the bay.
Watering. Stapelia needs moderate watering, so that between the irrigations the soil dries out by half. In autumn, as the temperature decreases, watering is less common. In winter, it is enough to pour how many tablespoons in the pot to slightly moisten the soil.
Fertilizer. In April-September, stapelias are fertilized twice a month with mineral compounds for cacti. The fertilizer solution is poured into the soil at a small distance from the roots. The complex should contain a sufficient amount of potassium, as it increases the immunity of the plant. In the fall, top dressing is stopped completely.
Possible difficulties
With proper care, stapelia does not suffer from plant diseases. If the soil is regularly poured, root rot may develop. In this case, it is almost impossible to save the mother plant. You need to have time to cut healthy cuttings and root them. Parasites almost never settle on the slipway, so you do not have to worry about the safety of the flower.
When caring for a plant, it is necessary to pay attention to its appearance. If the stems become pale and wrinkled, this indicates a bay. Elongated thin shoots indicate a lack of fertilizer and lighting. If the dormant period is incorrectly organized and there is a lack of lighting, flowering may not occur.
