An early 19th century illustration of the Maggot Bearing Stapelia, a genus of low-growing, spineless, stem succulent plants, predominantly from South Africa with a few from other parts of Africa. The appearance of many Stapelia flowers has been claimed to resemble rotting meat, and coupled with their odour serve to attract blow flies that frequently lay eggs around the coronae of Stapelia flowers. This artwork for Robert John Thornton's "The Temple of Flora" in 1807, was printed, for the publisher, by T. Bensley, London, England.


Size: 2712px × 3616px
Location: Published in the UK
Photo credit: © De Luan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1807, 19th, africa, african, antiquarian, antiquity, art, artistry, artwork, author, bearing, biology, blow, botanic, botanist, botany, british, century, colourful, culture, english, fine, fleshy, flies, flora, floral, flowers, garden, gardening, heritage, historic, history, horticultural, horticulture, icon, iconic, illustration, insects, john, literature, maggot, meat, mountains, natural, nature, odour, painting, pictorial, plants, pollination, robert, rotton, sketch, south, stapelia, study, succulents, temple, thornton, writer