Have you seen a carrion flower? As Halloween approaches, it seemed only fitting to talk about a plant that is gross, but awesome at the same time. It smells like rotting flesh and attracts flies. Pretty disgusting, right?

Yet, at the same time, pretty clever. Smell like rotting flesh, attract flies, and get pollinated. That is the plan the carrion plant, or Stapelia gigantea has worked out for itself.This grotesque-smelling plant is perfect for this month. It was blooming when I visited the Federick Meijer Gardens a few weeks ago. The smell was like road kill, and the flies were all over it.

Carrion flower details

This succulent (not a cactus) hails from South Africa and is in the milkweed family. It is named in honor of Johannus van Stapel, a 17th-century physician and botanist. I would love a plant named for me, but one wonders what made someone name this plant for a specific person. Were they friends or enemies? Just a thought.

It flowers in the fall when the days shorten, and the flowers can be 10-12″ wide. It resembles a starfish, another common name given to this plant. The long hairs on the edges of the flower add to the illusion of the flower being a dead animal, along with the foul smell.  It can grow as a ground cover, and in Frederick Meijer Gardens, it has taken over quite a large area in the desert house.

Stapelia as a houseplant

If you are brave enough to grow this as a houseplant, choose the window with the brightest light. Pot it up in a well-drained soil. If you can’t tolerate the smell of the flowers, cut them off. That is the best part of the plant, yet it is still an attractive succulent plant even without the flowers. This plant stopped me in my tracks in the conservatory, and it did smell, but I had to get quite close to smell it. In a smaller room in your home, it might be a bit stronger, but it may be worth the aroma to have these magnificent flowers. What do you think?

The pictures below were taken of a Stapelia at Matthaei Botanical Garden in October.

Do you think you would grow this plant in your home?

Have a great week!

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