Stapelia Bloom

For years, I thought my Stapelia was an S. grandiflora, but now that it has produced its first flower, I think it may be an S. hirsuta. Everything about the flower points to that, including the numerous purple hairs that completely cover the surface. I may be wrong, but I'm sticking with hirsuta unless an Stapelia expert contradicts my assessment.

I transplanted this specimen earlier this year. It had been in the same pot for over eight years, residing in my bathroom. After placing it in a new pot with fresh soil, I decided to leave it in the shade on the patio. It thrived and grew plenty of new stems. This is probably what prompted this first-time flower. Flowers only appear on new growth.

We have had a few nights in the low 40s, and some of the tips of the stems of this plant have been damaged, so in the next few days, it will come back into the house until night time temperatures remain above 50º F.

Surprisingly, this flower does not have a strong carrion scent. Perhaps the smell will develop over the next few days as this flower just opened a few hours ago. It's odd that it bloomed this time of year, as flies are not flitting around at all. However, my Huernia primulina has continued to bloom over the past six weeks, and it also depends on flies for pollination.