I received the plant pictured from my grandmother after she passed away. I've had it for 7 years, and have never had it bloom. In the past few weeks, the plant has developed buds that are larger than my fist (and I'm not a small person), the first of which is starting to open. The vertical picture is the whole plant (the blooms are near the bottom). The second photo is of the opening bloom. I hope someone can help me identify! (Would only that my grandmother were still living!) Thanks very much.
That is totally it! You are a star! Thank you so very much! I have another carrion flower (though of a much smaller variety), so I'm glad it's autumn. If they all bloom, I think we'll end up with 5 total blooms. Very cool. And again, you have my eternal thanks. (I've been reading other threads ... wish I knew enough to contribute intelligently)
I was wondering about Stapelia gigantea. http://columbus-cactus-club.webs.com/Stapelia gigantea.htm togata was too quick.
I have a different type of Stapelia that came with my office. It started to bloom a week or so ago. I had to move it outside. Flowers are impressive, but the stink is unbearable.
The buds have started popping. They're really very amazing flowers. After some more reading (thanks to your generous links), I think I know why it has not bloomed prior to this year. According to one article, they need the natural rhythm of the changing light of autumn to bud/bloom. Until this year, we've always had a lamp (set on a timer so we didn't have to fuss in the dark) directly below it. We have now rearranged, and bang! flowers. Anyway, thought you might be interested in seeing these buds now open. First picture is my attempt to give perspective with a tape measure. They're somewhere between 10 and 12 inches (~30cm) in diameter. The second picture is pulled back a bit to see the beauty of the bloom. Thanks again to all for your help!
