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  • A stapelia leendertziae in a hanging basket set on a table, with two flowers on it and a bud
  • Detail of a shiny green fly on the petal of the open flower
  • A mature leendertziae plant in a hanging basket, with slender tall stems and long hanging stems that curl up on the ends
  • Detail of the flowers on the plant, a long bell-like maroon flower with thin star-like petals peeling back
  • The full plant with a bloom held up to see up it, showing it is quite dark. The petals are thin and pointed, and spread out like a star
  • A flower held up to get light into the dark interior, which is fuzz-lined.
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Stapelia leendertziae "Black Bells"

Stapelia leendertziae "Black Bells"

$6.00 USD
$6.00 USD
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Option

Family Apocynaceae

Subfamily Asclepiadoideae

Tribe Ceropegieae

Genus Stapelia

Species leendertziae

Common name(s) Black Bells

 

Stapelia leendertziae is one of my favorite stapeliads when non-blooming due to its robust growth form. It grows quickly, so it will fill a pot or hanging basket and then cascade over the edges. Black Bells has slender upright stems that branch, with a healthy green color in the summer and purple stress coloration in the winter.

When it blooms, it will produce long lantern-like flowers that hang from the plant. They are a beautiful maroon color on the outside, and on the inside they are dark, ridged, and fuzz-lined. Be prepared that this is an especially pungent variety that smells like fish fertilizer has been applied recently.

Options: The "parent" plant you will receive a cutting from is pictured. Available as a cutting measuring at least four inches, rooted or unrooted, or a rooted multi-stem cutting with at least three stems of various ages (basically a small 2" pot plant, bare root).

 

Growth habit Branching upright stems, cascades over pot edges
Size 6–9" upright slender columnar stems, hanging stems can stretch over a foot
Light Filtered sun, under a tree or shade cloth
Water Occasional water in growing season, allow to dry between waterings; leave dry over winter
Overwintering Tolerates 40°F, does best overwintering in a greenhouse
Flowers Blooms in the early summer and fall
Scent profile Warm fish fertilizer
Native to South Africa
Conservation risk status Least Concern (LC)
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