Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Stapelia
‖
Sta-pe′li-a
(-lĭ-ȧ)
, Noun.
[NL. So named after
John Bodaeus a
, a physician of Amsterdam.] Stapel
(Bot.)
An extensive and curious genus of African plants of the natural order
Asclepiadaceae
(Milkweed family). They are succulent plants without leaves, frequently covered with dark tubercles giving them a very grotesque appearance. The odor of the blossoms is like that of carrion.