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asclepiad, carrion flower, growing stapelia, huernia, lifesaver cactus, orbea, stapelia, stapelianthus, starfish cactus -

The Asclepiad family, including the genus Stapelia, have evolved some extraordinary adaptations to their arid, harsh environments.  Because these locales lack the resources to support bees, wasps, butterflies, and other typical pollinators, some members of this family have had to change their campaign to attract other pollinators: flies! Instead of a heavenly, floral scent, these flowers emit a carrion-like odor. Like a wine connoisseur, the different smells and degrees of odor can be identified by a trained nose...they range from "hot garbage" to "five day old corpse" to "dumptruck full of mothballs." In addition to their scents, they have special physical...

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