Flower profile
Zulu giant
Stapelia gigantea
Zulu giant is a wildflower. In Hawaii it's most often seen in bloom in March–December.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Hawaii
Quick look
Stapelia gigantea is a species of flowering plant in the genus Stapelia of the family Apocynaceae. Common names include carrion plant and toad plant. The plant is native to the desert regions of northeastern South Africa north to Malawi and Zambia.
- It belongs to the Apocynaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as not native to Hawaii. NatureServe
- In Hawaii, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–December. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,178 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #34 among the 105 flowers on our Hawaii list. iNaturalist
Zulu giant gift ideas
Handmade zulu giant gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Zulu giant art print
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Zulu giant greeting card
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Zulu giant mug
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Zulu giant earrings
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Zulu giant embroidery pattern
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Zulu giant sticker
When does it bloom?
In Hawaii, most flowering sightings come in March–December.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. NatureServe
- Hawaii
- Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Hawaii. HAR 13-107
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Stapelia hirsata (“Carrion Flower 2”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ASPCA
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records zulu giant in 1 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Hawaii.
Hawaii counties with USDA records: Honolulu.
More Hawaii flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile STGI.
- iNaturalist, Stapelia gigantea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Stapelia gigantea (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Hawaii: Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
- Hawaii: Hawaii noxious weed list (HAR 4-68).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Stapelia gigantea (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
- Photo: Kevin Faccenda via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.