STAPELIA

stapelia, carrion flower, starfish flower

(noun) any of various plants of the genus Stapelia having succulent leafless toothed stems resembling cacti and large foul-smelling (often star-shaped) flowers

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

stapelia (plural stapelias)

(botany) Any of the genus Stapelia of low-growing succulent plants, predominantly from South Africa, and often giving off an odour of rotten flesh.

Synonyms

• (genus of odoriferous plants): carrion flower

Anagrams

• plateias

Source: Wiktionary


Sta*pe"li*a, n. Etym: [NL. So named after John Bodæus a Stapel, a physician of Amsterdam.] (Bot.)

Definition: An extensive and curious genus of African plants of the natural order Asclepiadaceæ (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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

25 May 2025

ALBUTEROL

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Coffee Trivia

In 1511, leaders in Mecca believed coffee stimulated radical thinking and outlawed the drink. In 1524, the leaders overturned that order, and people could drink coffee again.

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