Native to Zambia and South Africa, Stapelia gigantea is a heavily branching succulent with the largest flowers among the Stapeliads. They can be anywhere from 10 to 16 inches across tip to tip. The deeply grooved 4 ribbed stem segments are 6 to 12 inches long and as much as an inch thick. Planted in a hanging pot the plant will soon spill out and trail down the sides. In the ground it will become a patch several feet across. I prefer them in pots as it's easier to control their size and view the flowers.
     I plucked a cutting of this from a neighbors yard several years ago, complete with a large flower bud. The flower opened a few days later before it had even rooted. Since then I haven't been able to kill one. These are cast iron plants. They get a little hurt over the winter but come back big time in spring. The flowers aren't nearly as foul smelling as they're made out to be, still it's best to keep them outside. Sometimes the flowers are hard to photograph because the petals fold back on themselves. So my hand in the picture below is there for more than size comparison.

Gigantic flower

Rear view of another

Black background