Is the Stapelia Flavopurpurea Flower a Monocot?

Dicot and Monocot Differences

• A number of distinctions between dicots and monocots are apparent only to trained botanists, but several are obvious by looking at their germinating seeds, veins and roots. The name "mono" indicates a seed produces one embryonic leaf; dicot seeds yield two embryonic leaves. Dicot veins branch on the leaves while most monocots have parallel veins that run the length of the leaves -- grasses are good examples. Dicot roots develop from the bottom of the embryo, a region called the radicle, and the growing tip of the root continues to produce tissue for much of the plant’s life. Monocot roots quickly abort and they grow new roots from nodes on the stem. When you cut a woody dicot, the vascular bundles that move water and nutrients through the stem appear as rings whereas the bundles are scattered in monocot stems. Herbaceous dicots are an exception to this pattern.

Herbaceous

• Monocots have lost their ability to increase their diameter by adding wood and bark. Bananas, agaves and other herbaceous dicots produce a substitute for wood and bark. Succulent dicots such as the starfish flower grow all or nearly all of their leaves in rosettes at the base of the plant.

Description

• Members of the Stapelia genus are often called carrion flowers because their foul odor resembles rotting meat. Although its beautiful, bright yellow flowers are smaller than those of other members of the genus, the starfish flower lacks the characteristic foul smell. In fact, it has a sweet scent. Its green stems grow up to 4 inches tall, bearing clusters of deeply lobed, starlike flowers that are usually bright yellow but may be brown, red or green.

Climate and Cultivation

• Members of the Stapelia genus grow naturally in the arid regions of South Africa. Starfish flowers typically grow in stones at the base of desert shrubs. The shade of the shrubs protects them from the sun in the heat of the day. They resist drought and are good for planting in rocky gardens and in pots. They like the sun and grow best in well-drained, equal parts of topsoil, potting soil and river sand.