Description

These succulents are so striking, they could almost be from another planet. With a clutch of green ‘finger-like’ prongs growing up to 30cm at maturity, they’re a great way to add shape and colour to your room. Naturally found in and around rocks in their native South Africa, they love being bathed in sun (though for best results indoors we advise a bright but indirectly lit location to avoid scorching).

If you’re lucky, as your plant matures, you may be graced with one of their trademark purple bell-shaped flowers in late summer, though indoors in UK homes they may be less likely. Clump-forming, over time, these Stapelias will spread, producing more stems.

Great for beginners, Stapelias are drought resistant and, if anything, overwatering will do more damage than under-watering. The best time to give them a refreshing drink is when the top couple of centimetres of soil are fully dry – usually every week during warmer months. However tempting, avoid sitting them in water – they won’t appreciate a bath!

To keep Stapelias on top form, we recommend feeding them monthly during spring and summer with a liquid food suitable for succulents. 

When the time comes to re-pot, you’ll need to choose a gritty compost like our cactus and succulent mix. Regular compost will retain too much moisture which will cause the roots to rot and may encourage mould growth too.

Although their texture should deter pets from having a nibble, do be aware that Stapelias are toxic to animals.

 

Water / Feed: Water when the top 2-3 cm of soil has dried out but don’t allow it to sit in water. Feed once monthly in spring/summer.

Pet / Child: Toxic to animals

Temperature / Humidity: 10-26 degrees Celsius.

Soil Type: Use specialist cactus/succulent compost.

Light / Position: Bright, indirect light

Growth / Spread: Slow growing they’ll reach up to 30cm

Geographic Origins: South Africa

 

Please note: images show how this plant may look at various stages of maturity. The size you choose may look different. Any decorative pots shown in photographs are not supplied with the plant (which is sent out in a simple nursery pot). They do however make excellent potted plants and, if you wish to pot yours up, we do have a wide range of pots on our website to choose from.