Stapelia gigantea
Stapelia gigantea, commonly known as the Carrion Flower, is a stunning succulent native to South Africa. Renowned for its massive, star-shaped blooms, it attracts pollinators with a unique, fleshy appearance. While its striking aesthetic is captivating, its distinctive scent mimics decaying organic matter to entice flies for pollination.
- Scientific name: Stapelia gigantea
- Family: Apocynaceae
- Native range: Africa
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Gentianaales, it is classified under the family Apocynaceae and is specifically identified by the genus Stapelia.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Gentianales | WCVP |
| Family | Apocynaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Stapelia | WCVP |
Common Names
This plant, known scientifically as Stapelia gigantea, is referred to by various common names depending on the language and region. In Arabic, it is known as صبار صباع الكافر and also as صبار صباع الكافر in the Egyptian Arabic dialect (arz). In Swedish, it is called Jätteasblomma, while in Chinese, it is identified as 巨花犀角. Additionally, in Persian, the plant is commonly referred to as کاکتوس گل ستاره دریايي.| Language | Common Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ar | صبار صباع الكافر | Wikidata |
| sv | Jätteasblomma | Wikidata |
| zh | 巨花犀角 | Wikidata |
| fa | کاکتوس گل ستاره دریایی | Wikidata |
| arz | صبار صباع الكافر | Wikidata |
| zh-cn | 巨花犀角 | Wikidata |
| zh-tw | 大豹皮花 | Wikidata |
| zh-hans | 巨花犀角 | Wikidata |
| sv | Jätteordenstjärna | Wikidata |
| sv | Stapelia nobilis | Wikidata |
Distribution
This plant is widely distributed across several key regions within the African continent. In East Tropical Africa, its presence is noted in both Kenya and Tanzania. Moving toward the southern part of the continent, the species is also found throughout South Tropical Africa. Specifically, it inhabits the territories of Malawi and Mozambique. Additionally, its geographical range extends into the country of Zambia.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| East Tropical Africa | Kenya | WCVP |
| East Tropical Africa | Tanzania | WCVP |
| South Tropical Africa | Malawi | WCVP |
| South Tropical Africa | Mozambique | WCVP |
| South Tropical Africa | Zambia | WCVP |
| South Tropical Africa | Zimbabwe | WCVP |
| Southern Africa | Botswana | WCVP |
| Southern Africa | KwaZulu-Natal | WCVP |
| Southern Africa | Eswatini | WCVP |
| Southern Africa | Northern Provinces | WCVP |
Chemicals
Stapelia gigantea has 4 reported phytochemicals identified across 4 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Candicine, N-methyltyramine, choline, tyramine.
- Total chemicals
- 4
- Scientific sources
- 4
Most Reported Compounds
| Compound | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Candicine | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| N-methyltyramine | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| choline | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| tyramine | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |