The scientific name is Stapelia gigantea. Common names include Zulu giant, carrion plant and toad plant. The plant is native to the desert regions of South Africa to Tanzania.
The flowers have the smell of rotting flesh, in order to attract the flies which pollinate them.
There have been several proposed reasons for the size of the flowers of S. gigantea. First, it is possible that they are large to attract the flies that pollinate them. The large size and color of the flowers combined with the carrion smell may cause the flies to behave as if it is a dead carcass and be more likely to visit it.
Bernard also gave me the name of the plant in the Zulu language — Isithlethle, but don’t ask me to pronounce it,
