Huernia Procumbens

Day 93: Huernia procumbens (Pointed Star Lifesaver Plant) is proving to be a bit more difficult to bring into bloom than its showier cousin, H. zebrina. I suspect that my watering schedule is to blame because either too much or too little soil moisture can cause buds to drop before they are fully formed. The Huernias were formerly classified as stapeliads, but are now considered to be a distinct genus. Like true stapeliads, the flowers emit a smell akin to rotting meat, fortunately not noticeable when grown in the home. Accordingly, they attract small flies which are the plant's primary pollinators in nature. The second half of the Latin binomial refers to the trailing (procumbent) habit of the stems. Grown in a hanging basket, the stems of mine frequently have to be pruned back to prevent them from tangling in the Christmas cactuses on the shelf below. In the wild, these "trailers" often separate from the parent plant and readily root where they fall.