BOTANICAL, INDEX. 
39 
Fig. 27. — Stapelia Serpentina. 
ST APE LI Jl. 
T is always a matter of surprise to see the strange forms nature assumes in the 
Vegetable Kingdom, especially when looking over a collection of plants just 
received from a newly discovered country. It is not the good fortune, how- 
ever, of all plant lovers to enjoy the feast of good things alike, and many of 
us must content ourselves with reading of instead of owning them. We have 
selected from this number, (and “ their name is legion ,”) one of the common- 
est forms of these curiosities to talk about in this number — the Stapelia — 
because within the past few years they have been introduced into our plant 
establishments rather freely and occasionally purchased for private collections, which 
may make a short article about them more acceptable. 
In the natural order of the Vegetable Kingdom, the Stapelia are classed by botanists 
in the Asclepedacce, which are represented with us by the common milkweed of the 
road-side ; and the Stapelia are just as nox- 
ious in their native country as the milk- 
weed is with us. There are about one 
hundred species known to botanists, all of 
which are from that land of vegetable 
wonders — the Cape of Good Hope. 
At the head of this article we give an 
illustration of a plant of Stapelia Serpen- 
tina, (Fig. 27), as it is seen in our green- 
houses, and in Fig. 28 we give a cut of its 
flower, natural size. It would be very dif- 
ficult to give a perfect description of the 
flower, and we will only say, it is of a 
dark velvety -brown color, with yellowish 
spots irregularly scattered over its sur- 
face, giving it a peculiarly grotesque dot- 
ted or marbled appearance, reminding 
one very much of the skin of a reptile; 
but the flower has the odor of carrion 
upon a too close inspection. The genus 
of Stapelia present two forms of growth 
— a creeping and an erect form — and Sta- 
pelia Serpentina is a good example of the 
creeping varieties, both in growth and 
flower. They are composed of thick fleshy 
or lumpy four-sided stems, about six 
inches in length, without leaves, and Fig.28 .— Flower of Stapelia Serpentina, natural size. 
along the angles of the stem are prominent notches or teeth, from which spring 
soft thorn-like tubercles, giving the plant a cactus-like appearance. 
But the erect growing section, of which Stapelia Asterias is a good example, are by 
far the handsomest varieties. Fig. 29 well illustrates a flower and small portion of 
the stem of S. asterias, and is a good example of this section. The flower is of a deep 
