My Starfish Cactus is named for resemblance, not for relationship. The five-petaled flowers look like a somewhat hairy starfish and the four-sided stems resemble a cactus with no spines and velvet skin. I believe my plant to be Stapelia gigantea, but, as with so many of my plants, it came as a plantlet with only a common name. In my case, the common name was Carrion flower which, alas, is also a resemblance name. The flower produces an odor which I don’t find strong, but flies and my dog take notice.
The pretty stems grow to 6” to 8” and are very week, since they aren’t cactus at all. This makes a green, interesting house plant which blooms for me in late September to early October. The flowers are very large, 6” or more and a striking pale yellow with rust red, thin squiggles and very fine “hair”. It would make a great Halloween flower, but the blooms come too early.
There are many varieties of Stapelia, some in purplish red and some with lots of “hair” so it’s like growing a plant that blooms small animals. There are similar plants to genus Stapelia, genus Huernia and genus Orbea, that all look similar with similar-sounding descriptions. I haven’t come across a good distinction reference, but you can see the plants in bloom at the Succulent Alley website. I can’t vouch for the information, but the photos will make you drool.
Based on my research, which is from untested sources, my plant is Stapelia gigantea, part of the Asclepiedaceae or milkweed family. It is easy to grow as a houseplant, but it won’t take the cold weather of our winters. It spends winter indoors and summers outside on the shaded/partial shade patio. It requires normal, well-drained potting soil. It likes to be watered a little each week, but I have to be careful not to overwater since the stems will rot. As a succulent, it is tolerant if you miss a watering. Fertilize lightly from spring through blooming. It likes to be pot-bound, so frequent re-potting is not needed.
Sites on the internet say it can produce seed pods with papery seeds that can be planted, but I’ve never hand-pollinated and the flies haven’t done their job, so I have no experience with seeds. The stems can be divided or, if broken off, potted up. Let broken stems lie a few days to develop a callus before planting. The plant will freely branch and gets wide, so broken off stems will be common if you move it. It does tend to cascade down which means a shelf is needed. My plants are windowsill sized for only a year or so before I have to find other places. My Starfish Cactus has never been bothered by mealy bugs, but the internet warns that these plants are susceptible.
If you want an easy-care, cactus-like plant you can pet, with weird but lovely blossoms, try a Starfish Cactus.
by Marj McClung, ECMG