Beauty or Beast?

Orbea longidens

There are many weird plants out there but succulents have more than their fair share. This Orbea longidens flower is a great example to remind us that though we find many flowers beautiful, they evolved to attract specific pollinators rather than for our pleasure.

Visit this plant in the Succulent House (located in the Rock Alpine Garden) but don’t get too close. After trying to figure out if the flower is real, most people go to smell it and discover very quickly its beastly nature. Succulent asclepiads or stapeliads, are fly pollinated. They try to mimic carrion to attract flies and the smell is pretty realistic.  A closer look at the flower reveals its slightly odd hairy texture adding to the deception.

This plant is native to Africa however we have many members of the Milkweed family here too including the orange butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). Though not quite so alien looking or succulent they are among my favorite natives. They share their milky sap and beautiful seedpods with their African counterparts.

To see the variety in this group and learn more about the intricacies of their pollination process check out the website of expert Dr. Barad.

Visit the Succulent House soon as this flower will only last a few days, though there are a couple more buds appearing. It was planted today in the south-west corner very close to the front of the planting bed.