Stapelia

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Stapelia \Sta*pe"li*a\ (-l[i^]*[.a]), n. [NL. So named after
     John Bodaeus a Stapel, a physician of Amsterdam.] (Bot.)
     An extensive and curious genus of African plants of the
     natural order {Asclepiadaceae} (Milkweed family). They are
     succulent plants without leaves, frequently covered with dark
     tubercles giving them a very grotesque appearance. The odor


     of the blossoms is like that of carrion.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  stapelia
       n : any of various plants of the genus Stapelia having succulent
           leafless toothed stems resembling cacti and large
           evil-smelling (often star-shaped) flowers [syn: {carrion
           flower}, {starfish flower}]