Tropicals & Tender Perennials: April Blooms, 1 by Kaelkitty

Kaelkitty wrote:
Hi All,
Summer is over here, Autumn has begun. We have just had what the TV weather people described as our "first rain event for 2009" about 60mm over the last four days, after less than 50mm total since August last year. I have had no Hoya flowers this summer - I think it has just been too hot for my (mostly) carnosa crew. However I did get one Asclepiad surprise. This plant has been a NOID in my collection for yonks (at least 10 years) and has never flowered. It propagates well enough, but sun, shade, fed, not fed - NO FLOWERS. I have been calling it "The EVIL Stapelia" with many muttered expletives for some time.

Well, I take it ALL back; here is what started happening about three weeks ago, and culminated in this beautiful bloom. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a hearty welcome to Stapelia gigantea! I measured the radius from the centre point to the tip of one petal; it is OVER 16cm, that is about 6.5 inches, which would make the whole flower over a foot across! Whee-Hah! I am a very happy plant mother!

Ciao, KK.

This message was edited Apr 27, 2009 12:32 PM