Orbea Schweinfurthii (Stapelia)

Water:

April-September: 1 x every 2 weeks*

October-March: 1x per month *

*This is only for a sunny location

Light: sunny

Nutrition: 1x per month (May-September)

The Orbea Schweinfurthii is a special carrion flower species that occurs naturally in a widespread area in Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Rwanda. Here the Orbea Schweinfurthii grows in sandy and loamy soil. The Orbea Schweinfurthii often grows in the shelter of other plants. This protects this carrion flower from the bright sunlight.

The Orbea Schweinfurthii produces short light green trunks that start narrow and end wide. The characteristic tooth shape is usually only at the end of the trunk. This makes them resemble a bat from prehistoric times.

Most flowers of the Orbea species produce a foul-smelling odor so they are pollinated by flies. The flowers of the Orbea Schweinfurthii are not. These have the smell of overripe fruit and are therefore pollinated by fruit flies. When the Orbea Schweinfurthii is happy with you, it will start blooming in the fall. Usually its beautiful small orange flowers with a red pattern appear on top of the stem. The flowers grow to about 2-3 cm in size and are shaped like a star.