Stapelia: photo of a flower and care at home, species with names - variegated, grandiflora, large-flowered, giant, how to propagate a succulent from plant cuttings?

Among amateur gardeners who prefer growing succulents, unpretentious and attractive even during the dormant period, slipway enjoys constant popularity. The name of this unusually beautiful flower, which, in contrast to its appearance, has a monstrously unpleasant odor, is associated with the name of the 17th century Dutch physician Johann Bodeus van Stapel, who became the discoverer of the bizarre plant.

Due to its expressive appearance, this succulent is also called the fluffy stargazer, order star, African starfish and stapelia cactus.

Botanical description of succulent

Stapelia is a genus of perennial succulent plants belonging to the Apocynaceae family.
All varieties of slipway have characteristic common features:

They have absolutely no leaves, and numerous fleshy, tetrahedral stems branching at the base of a silver-blue or green color, sometimes with a pink-violet tint, covered along the edges with blunt teeth, have a thickness of up to 3 cm, and reach a height of from 10 to 60 cm.
The main feature of the plant is its unusually beautiful and at the same time foul-smelling large flowers, single or paired, with five petals, located on bent pedicels (usually at the base, less often at the tops of the shoots), having a diameter of 5 to 30 cm and the shape similar to a starfish. The surface of the petals is covered with fluffy hairs; the color can be different, both plain and variegated.
The root system of the crop is superficial and rather poorly developed.

Advice from experienced gardeners on caring for slipway

Succulents require slightly different conditions than other plants. Experienced flower growers give the following tips and recommendations on how to make stapelia bloom:

Plants should be placed in a well-lit window. But on a hot afternoon they need to be covered from the bright rays of the sun.
Bushes are planted in containers with low sides, since their root system is poorly developed.
Water the slipway only after the soil has dried. Pathogenic microorganisms develop in constantly wet soil.
In winter, the culture is kept in a cool place and allowed a period of rest.
Feed the plants no more than 2 times a month with preparations for succulents. They contain a reduced concentration of nutrients.
Fertilizers should only be applied to moist soil. Otherwise, the root system will be damaged by mineral salts.

Caring for slipways at home is easy. It is necessary to water it occasionally, feed it, and protect it from diseases and pests. During the cold season, the plant should be given a period of rest. Then in the summer the stapelia will produce 1 or several beautiful flowers with pointed petals and colorless cilia.

Unusual smell

This succulent smells differently than most flowers: instead of a pleasant aroma, the elegant plant exudes the smell of carrion.

This attracts its only pollinators in the wild - flies - and thus contributes to the successful pollination process.

Some varieties of stapelia during flowering have a neutral smell or even emit a light waxy aroma. But during this period it is better to take the rest out onto the loggia, veranda or balcony.

How does stapelia reproduce?

Reproduction of slipway is carried out by cuttings and seed method. Planting with shoots is the most effective method, since the plant actively grows green mass. It takes about a year for the seed fruit to ripen. At the same time, planting seeds does not guarantee the preservation of the varietal qualities of future seedlings.

Slipway shoots

Germination of seeds

Scented flowers are usually pollinated by flies, which fly to the pungent smell.

The seeds ripen in the fruits, which can then be used as planting material for propagation of stapelia.

The seed is sown in a sandy mixture, the pots should be flat. The crops are irrigated with a spray bottle and covered with film.

Every day the greenhouse is opened for an hour for ventilation. After about 20-30 days, seedlings will appear; after a few weeks they are transferred to a larger container, planted in a substrate for succulents.

You should know! When propagated by seeds, the plant may lose its varietal qualities. In the future, you may not be able to wait for flowering; the shape of the bush will be different.

Rooting cuttings

Stems 5-8 cm long are cut from adult bushes with a sharp knife and left to dry in the air.

The sections are treated with crushed charcoal, then the shoots are planted in the substrate. The mixture should consist mainly of sand, to which a little peat is added.

After a few weeks, properly planted cuttings will take root, after which they are planted in permanent pots with more nutritious soil.

Rooting cuttings of slipway

Poisonous or not?

Stapelia is a toxic plant: contact with the milky juice contained in the shoots on the skin or mucous membranes causes redness, irritation, itching and burns, and consumption of the stems leads to poisoning.

Therefore, when in contact with a flower, you need to wear gloves, and at the first signs of poisoning in children or animals, immediately give the victim Enterosgel and consult a doctor.

Transfer

Slipway transplantation should be done at a young age, this way the growth of the crop can be stimulated. Adult bushes are replanted once every 3 years. The procedure is performed at the end of winter, before the active growing season begins.

Carefully remove the bush from the old pot, removing damaged and diseased roots. Old branches are removed; flowers will no longer appear on them.

The calcined soil is poured into a pot, slightly larger in size than the previous one. The bottom of the pot should be covered with a layer of expanded clay drainage. Place the plant in the ground and sprinkle it to the top with the rest of the nutrient mixture.

After transplantation, do not water the flower for several days; it must adapt to the new container.

Benefits and harms

In addition to the fact that the flower is poisonous and requires careful handling, data about the beneficial or harmful qualities of the plant are more related to signs and superstitions than to real facts.

It is believed that the slipway:

absorbs magnetic radiation;
protects against the evil eye;
promotes prosperity and success in business;
calms the nervous system and heals mental wounds;
helps get rid of bad habits;
creates a pleasant atmosphere in the house;
charges the body with positive energy.

Everyone can check whether this is really so.

Diseases and pests

Stapelia is a fairly disease-resistant plant and its problems are most often associated with violation of maintenance conditions:

The stems of the slipway became soft and limp. The cause may be root rot, which develops with prolonged excessive soil moisture.
Stapelia does not bloom due to a number of mistakes made in care: lack of sunlight, warm and humid microclimate during wintering, excess nitrogen nutrition, too fertile soil and large pot volume.
The shoots become thinner and longer in low sunlight.
Brown spots appear on the shoots as a result of sunburn.
Shriveled stems of a plant due to chronic drying out of the root system.

Stapelia is more often damaged by mealybugs, less often by aphids and spider mites.

Species names

Up to 56 varieties of slipway are known, which have much in common, but there are also differences, especially with regard to the size, color and smell of flowers. Below are popular indoor types with photos and descriptions.

Variegated or variegated

Stapelia variegate reaches a height of 10-15 cm and during the flowering period it looks very elegant and attractive. The juicy stems are green with a pink tint, round in cross-section, have blunt teeth at the edges, and at the base of the young shoots there are up to 5 flowers with a diameter of 5-7 cm with cream or yellow petals, pointed at the edge and covered with dark burgundy specks or stripes .

During the flowering period, Stapelia variegate emits a rather strong unpleasant odor.

Large-flowered (Grandiflora)

Stapelia grandiflora reaches only 9-10 cm in height. At the same time, it produces large flowers with a diameter of 15 cm with five lanceolate petals, curved outward at the edges and covered with silvery hairs. The tetrahedral green shoots of the plant have sparse denticles along the edges, and the flower petals are blue-greenish on the outside and dark purple on the inside (less often, purple or orange). When flowering, the succulent emits a distinct smell of rotting meat.

Gigantea or Gigantea

Stapelia gigantea, which is also called tiger because of the color of the petals, pale yellow or pink and covered with dark red hairs. Tetrahedral stems with curved teeth on the ribs grow up to 25 cm in height, and huge flowers with a diameter of 30-35 cm, located on long stalks, have elongated, narrowed and slightly curved petals at the edge.

Stapelia gigantean has an important advantage: during flowering there is absolutely no rotten smell, which is so characteristic of most varieties of the plant.

Ferruginous

Stapelia glanduliflora, 15 cm high, has straight, light green shoots 3 cm thick, with wing-shaped edges covered with sparse teeth. The succulent blooms with yellow-green flowers up to 5 cm in diameter with pointed triangular-shaped petals, the edges of which are slightly bent, and the surface, covered with pinkish stripes and specks, is densely pubescent with long (up to 2 cm) white hairs with club-shaped thickenings. Each bush blooms from 1 to 3 flowers located on long peduncles.

Star-shaped

Stapelia asterias has green or reddish stems reaching 20 cm in height.

Flowers about 10 cm in diameter with sharp, tuberous petals of brown-red, orange or yellow color, covered with pale pink hairs and thin yellow stripes, are located on long stalks at the base of annual shoots, in groups of 2-3 buds.

A characteristic feature of Stapelia asterias is that during the flowering period, instead of a putrefactive odor, it emits a faint aroma of wax.

Golden purple

Stapelia flavor-purpurea with green or purple shoots and teeth on their blunt edges grows up to 10-13 cm. On the tops of young stems, from 1 to 3 flowers with a diameter of 4-5 cm of golden yellow or burgundy color with long sharp petals bloom, smooth outside and wrinkled inside, the edges of which are strongly curved towards the peduncle. The aroma of Stapelia flavor-purpurea, unlike many of its relatives, is quite pleasant and light.

Changeable

Stapelia mutabilis is a hybrid up to 15 cm high with strong fleshy stems and upward-pointing teeth on the edges.

The flowers, placed on long stalks, have yellow-greenish ovoid-triangular petals, pubescent along the edges with cilia and painted with burgundy dots and stripes.

Christata

Stapelia leendertziae cristata or, in its entirety, Stapelia leendertziae cristata, is shaped like a fragment of a coral reef. Its wide green stems with a pink border at the edges are like wavy combs, and the oblong flowers look like crimson bells.

Khirsuta

Stapelia hirsuta has smooth shoots, with teeth only in the lower part. The diameter of the purple-brown flowers when opened is no more than 10 cm. The surface of the petals seems velvety thanks to the lilac hairs and thin transverse stripes covering it.

Desmetiana

Stapelia desmeniana is a fairly large plant, the height of its tetrahedral stems reaches 30 cm.

The purple color of the petals, dotted with pink fibers, makes this variety especially decorative.

Erect-flowered

Stapelia erectiflora grows no more than 15 cm in height. The small flowers look very unusual: inside a fleecy corolla with petals strongly curved towards the stem there is a bright orange-brown star with a light yellow center. Stapelia erectiflora blooms for a short time, from one to two weeks, while emitting a neutral odor.

Berger

Stapelia bergeriana is a low plant (only 7-10 cm) with grayish-green tetrahedral stems with rounded notches on the edges. At the base of the shoots, beautiful flowers with curved petals bloom on short peduncles. They are yellow at the base, and towards the tips, framed by purple fibers, they gradually acquire a rich lilac-brown color.

Graceful and capricious, beautiful stapelia

Stapelia - a separate genus, organized from hundreds of low-maintenance succulent perennials, occupies not the last place in the Apocynaceae family.

The native habitat of these succulents is the African continent, its southern and southwestern parts. In the natural environment, the miracle plant has chosen forested mountain slopes and areas near ponds or next to trees.

The name of the slipway is grateful to the outstanding Dutch doctor of the seventeenth century, Van Stapel.

Hoya can claim the place of a famous relative .

The unpleasant and disgusting aroma of the star-shaped flowers, which is similar to the smell of rot, is a characteristic distinguishing feature of this plant and helps it survive in natural conditions. Many flies flock to these aromatic fluids and pollinate the slipway. The apparently spectacular beauty and eerie smell of this easy-care plant have long made it very popular in the wonderful world of flower lovers. Even Goethe, in his statements about the extraordinary flower, called this miracle “the most beautiful - the most monstrous flowers.”

The unsurpassed stapelia cactus, depending on the conditions of detention, can grow in height from ten centimeters to half a meter.

It boasts a large number of original stems in the shape of juicy tetrahedrons that branch from the base. The shades of the color scheme depend on the presence of dazzling sunlight. The beautiful greenish color may give way to bluish or purple-violet. The edges of the slipway are edged with soft, impressive teeth; through their presence, the plant acquired the name “stapelia cactus.” The beautiful stapelia has no leaves.

The base of the stems is the location of the pubescent exotic group or single flowers, perched on the bent stem part of the flower. The impression is that the plant is strewn with starfish. Each variety of slipway has its own variegated or monochromatic color of flowers and its own not very pleasant aroma that causes nausea. The size of these exotics ranges from five to thirty centimeters.

Stapelia photo you can see and admire the beautiful exotic plant by getting acquainted with its unusual and charming varieties.

Home care

Although slipway is an unpretentious plant, for its normal development it is necessary to know and follow the basic rules of care and maintenance.

Temperature

The optimal ambient temperature for the slipway, as for a seasonal plant, changes throughout the year and is:

+20…+30 °C - in summer, during the growing season;
+15…+18 °C - in early spring and late autumn (March and November), when the succulent is resting;
+10…+14 °C - in winter, during the dormant period.

Maintaining the correct temperature regime in the cold season will ensure full flowering of the plant in the summer.

Location and lighting

The flower needs a sufficient amount of sunlight, and the lighting should be diffused, since exposure to direct rays of the sun can cause burns and subsequent disease of the plant.

The best place to place the slipway is the window sills on the western and eastern sides. And if the apartment has a well-lit loggia, the succulent can be taken there on warm days, while not forgetting to protect the flower from drafts.

Watering and spraying

It is enough to water the crop once a week or even every 10 days, not earlier than the soil is completely dry after the previous moistening, and with the onset of autumn and throughout the winter, the number of waterings should be reduced to once a month. Water the flower from above, generously wetting the soil, but not allowing it to become waterlogged: good drainage will help get rid of excess moisture.

Since slipway comes from places with a dry climate, there is no need to spray it additionally. On the contrary, on sunny summer days it is worth opening the windows more often and ventilating the room to reduce air humidity.

Choosing a pot

The container for the flower should be chosen wide, but not deep, since the root system of the plant is superficial.

At the bottom of the pot with holes for excess moisture to flow out, be sure to lay a drainage layer at least a quarter thick, or even a third of the total height, so that water can pass freely when watering. In this case, the tray into which excess moisture will fall must have sufficiently high sides.

Priming

The most suitable soil mixture for growing slipway is a ready-made substrate for succulents or cacti and orchids. You can add charcoal and fine gravel or sand there.

To prepare the soil yourself, you need:

Mix in a 1:1:1 ratio:
turf land - it is better to get it outside the city, away from major roads;
coarse washed river sand or sea shell sand.
Add crushed charcoal to prevent the development of putrefactive bacteria.
Disinfect the soil mixture by steaming it in the oven for half an hour at a temperature of 90 °C.

Growing season and dormancy

Stapelia blooms mainly in summer, but sometimes in autumn, for about half a month, and this process begins with the formation of large buds, similar to a chicken egg.

The duration of flowering is influenced by the amount of light received by the plant, favorable temperature conditions and proper care. If the flower feels comfortable, it will bloom longer.

The dormant period, when the plant needs a special, cool temperature regime, begins in November and lasts until the end of March.

When to transplant?

Transplantation is carried out as the flower grows, usually in early spring:

young specimens are replanted once a year;
adult plants - once every 2-3 years.

They do it like this:

Old shoots that are no longer capable of forming flowers are removed from the central part of the bush.
Prepare a container, not deep, but wider than the previous one, with holes in the bottom.
Fill one third with drainage, then place a ready-made or home-made, pre-steamed substrate.
Carefully shake the plant out of the old pot, place it in the center of the new one, filling the free space with soil mixture, and do not water it for 3-4 days.

Top dressing

The plant is fertilized from the beginning of its spring awakening until the onset of flowering.

This is done once every 2 weeks, adding fertilizer during watering and using a ready-made preparation for cacti and orchids, diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio, as a fertilizer.

How to propagate?

At home, stapelia is propagated by seeds, cuttings, or by dividing the rhizome, although the latter method is not always successful.

From seeds

The collected seeds, which will take about a year to fully ripen, are sorted and the tails are removed. Then they are immersed briefly in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Then:

planted in a shallow container filled with wet coarse sand mixed with pieces of peat;
sprinkle with a thin layer of the same substrate on top;
until sprouts appear, keep under film, ventilating periodically;
The sprouts that appear dive into separate containers.

How to root a cutting?

First, use a sharp knife with a disinfected (calcined or treated with alcohol) blade to cut the stalk and leave it for a couple of days to dry the cut, and then:

prepare a container with a substrate from a mixture of peat and coarse river sand;
plant the cuttings in the soil mixture;
to ensure a microclimate, cover with film;
Once the cuttings have taken root, they are transplanted into a pot with a diameter of 7-8 cm, filled with river sand, leaf and turf soil mixed in equal parts.

Diseases and pests

The most dangerous thing for succulents is waterlogging of the soil: this causes rotting of the rhizomes and death of the entire plant.

The reasons may be:

violation of the irrigation regime;
insufficient drainage volume;
small holes in the bottom of the pot that do not allow excess moisture to pass through well.

If the roots begin to rot, it is better to take healthy shoots to root the cuttings, throw away the soil mixture, and boil the container for 5-10 minutes.

Pests that pose the greatest danger to the slipway:

mealybug, which gnaws tiny holes in the shoots and introduces putrefactive spores that kill the plant, as a result of which it can no longer be saved, and all that remains is to subject the container to disinfection and treat the window sill with a solution of potassium permanganate;
spider mites, which can be quickly gotten rid of by thoroughly washing the shoots, as well as wiping the pot and windowsill with a solution of dishwashing detergent.

Why don't buds appear?

One of the reasons for the lack of flowering may be a lack of sunlight.

In this case, the plant stretches out, loses its decorative qualities and cannot form a flower bud. To correct the situation, you need to gradually increase the time the flower spends in a well-lit place.

There are other reasons:

excessive soil moisture, which can be avoided by watering the flower only after the substrate has completely dried;
violation of the temperature regime in winter, during the dormant period, when the ambient temperature should be within +10...+14 ° C so that the plant can accumulate enough substances necessary for the formation of a flower.

Drops buds: what to do?

The shedding of buds by slipway can be caused by:

the plant being in a draft;
sudden change in lighting;
changing the location of the flower;
cold air temperature;
stagnation of moisture due to excessive watering, lack of drainage, or too dense soil;
lack or excess of fertilizers.

To deal with the problem, you need to:

place the flower in a well-lit place protected from drafts;
provide it with the correct temperature;
check the condition of the soil mixture and drainage, if necessary, replace the substrate and increase the drainage layer;
monitor compliance with the rules of moderate watering;
Apply fertilizers in a timely manner and in the right proportions.

Propagation of slipweed by cuttings

For rooting, petioles are prepared from faded stems using a sharp, disinfected knife. Work is carried out from May to July. The sections are treated with activated charcoal or charcoal and dried for several hours in the open air. Cuttings can be separated when transplanting the mother bush.

Wet sand is used as a rooting substrate. Over time, the rooted cuttings are transferred to a freer container. A mixture of sand with leaf and turf soil in equal proportions is suitable. To prevent the development of rotting processes, charcoal is added to the mixture.

Video

Flowering slipway and maintenance tips can be seen in the video:

It doesn’t take too much effort to enjoy the beauty of this amazing visitor from Africa and watch its magnificent bloom for a long time. For an unpretentious slipway, a correctly chosen location and compliance with simple rules of care, especially the watering regime and temperature indicators at different periods of flower development, are quite sufficient.

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When and how does it bloom

Bromeliad flower - home care

The plant is characterized by flowers of amazing beauty and terrible smell.

Most varieties of slipweed are large-flowered. The bud blooms into a fragrant five-pointed flower that can stink the entire apartment.

At this time, it is better to take the pot out onto the balcony. If old branches are removed, the bush will actively grow new ones, from which buds should appear once a year.

How often the stapelia cactus blooms depends on proper pruning of the stems.

Succulent buds

In order for the crop to bloom, it is necessary to provide good lighting, a cold winter, moderate watering, and fertilizing with a low nitrogen content. If you analyze all the stages of plant care, you can understand why the stapelia does not bloom.

Changes in care during the flowering period

When the succulent is in bloom, you should not turn it or move it from place to place.

During the active phase, the slipway requires frequent watering and fertilizing. You need to know that nitrogen fertilizers have a bad effect on the opening of buds. In order for the plant to bloom, you do not need to plant it in a wide pot; the roots love close quarters.

Bright starflower and its flowering

For the beauty of its huge flowers, stapelia is better known among flower growers around the world under the name of coral reef, starflower, sea star or order star. The genus Stapelia is part of the rather diverse and colorful Kutrov family (Apocynaceae). Stapelia can be easily distinguished from its fellow plants by its delightfully original flowering, but the stems of the succulent are also very decorative. Stapelias are representatives of the South African group of exotic succulents, found naturally in mountainous areas, in secluded places near water bodies or in the shade of large trees.

Stapelias are original succulent plants with thick and fleshy stems that are very easy to confuse with cacti. These are low-growing succulents, the maximum height of which is limited to 20 cm. The shoots of the slipway are leafless, most often tetrahedral, with weakly or strongly pronounced edges, externally reminiscent of ripsalidopsis. The shoots of the stocks appear at the base of the stems; the plant constantly grows spreading stems and forms fancy “bundles” of numerous shoots, which is why it looks very attractive. All slipways are characterized by a light, rich, bright green color, which is perceived as unusual and cold.

Stapelia flowers are inimitable even in detail. Reaching a diameter of 15 cm, single flowers hanging or rising on thick stalks, they surprise with their enormous size. The corolla is modified, it looks like a five-pointed, fleshy, regular “living” star. The five pointed leaves of the calyx highlight the round or bell-shaped corolla, the five petals of which taper towards the apex, forming that same star-shaped effect. The drawn out and rounded ends of the “rays” only emphasize the ideal star-shaped shape. Many stapelias are characterized by an unusual crown with lanceolate or rectangular, short, dissected or straight, curving or flat, free petals, together with close-fitting anthers, forming a fleshy circle. The flowers open in an unusual way, with a loud bang, unfurling their petals and revealing their stars slowly (while being watched closely).

Slipways are characterized by dull, but far from boring colors. Brown, cherry, red colors of spots and strokes create an illusion of animal colors and skins on a light background and, thanks to the edge or unusual texture, causing an association with luxurious fur or outlandish shellfish.

Stapelias have firmly established their status as foul-smelling indoor plants. A specific smell attracts flies to the succulent, but it is not equally pronounced in different types of slipways. And the beauty of the fleshy, outlandish flowers more than compensates for this shortcoming. After all, such exotic plants are grown primarily to replenish the collection of their original plants, and not as an ordinary indoor crop.