![]() And a few people make jam and jelly from the berries, although it might be difficult to find enough berries to make the effort worthwhile.Ĭarrion flower is starting to gain interest among gardeners as an ornamental. Apparently, the fruits are edible and have a pleasant taste. I have been told that the fruits of carrion flower are poisonous, but a quick check of some reference books revealed otherwise. Once a person has seen the berries and leaves of the plant, it is easily recognized. The dark blue to almost black berries are produced in a tight looking cluster and are about the size of chokecherries. However, come fall, when the leaves are starting to turn color and the dark blue cluster of berries is in stark contrast to the surrounding foliage it can be quite conspicuous. As you might guess, the flowers are pollinated by flies.Īlthough carrion flower is certainly not rare, it is seldom noticed by the casual observer during the summer months. Neither the male nor female flowers are showy, but as the name implies, the female flowers have a smell similar to that of rotten meat. Many range maps, however, show it growing east of a line from Ontario and Minnesota southward to Texas, plus Oklahoma and Kansas.Ĭarrion flower is dioecious, which means there are separate male and female plants. It is well documented in North and South Dakota. They are quite distinctive, as are the tendrils at the bases of the leaf stalks.Ĭarrion flower can be found in woods and thickets across our region. Unlike most leaves that have straight veins, some of the veins of carrion flower are curved. The plant produces alternate, oval shaped leaves that are 3-4 inches long and a 2-3 inches wide with smooth margins. The plant is in the Smilacaceae or Catbrier Family.Ĭarrion flower is a native herbaceous climbing vine. Although there are a few options, it is often carrion flower or Smilax herbacea. Used here for the large flowers.It is about this time of year that I occasionally get a question about a plant with a tight cluster of dark blue berries in Turtle Mountain. ![]() Specific epithet means unusually tall or large. Genus name honors Dutch physician Johannes Bodaeus van Stapel (1602-1636). Plants in Hawaii have escaped gardens (they spread easily by vegetative means and wind-blown seed) to the point where the plant is now considered in Hawaii to have invasive potential. Seed pods resemble milkweed and each individual seed has a milkweed-like parachute. Plants in the ground may grow to 24" wide. ![]() Spineless, 4-angled, succulent stems grow upright to 8-12" tall before scrambling sideways with the tips still erect. Flowers are pollinated by flies which reportedly find the carrion aroma irresistible. Flowers bloom in fall (flower buds are triggered by shortened daylight hours in fall). This is one of the largest flowers in the plant world. The focal point of this plant is the fleshy, 5-pointed, star-shaped flowers (to 10-16" across), each being pale ochre-yellow with thin transverse maroon lines. For those willing to look the other way on flower aroma, additional common names include giant toad flower or starfish flower. Common name comes from the malodorus flower aroma which resembles the smell of rotting meat. Stapelia gigantea, commonly called carrion flower, is a spine-free succulent member of the milkweed (not cactus) family that is native to dry desert areas from Tanzania to South Africa.
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