Monday, January 28, 2019

The Maggot-Bearing Stapelia finds its nomenclature.....



I've had a strange succulent....thornless cactus....that, in summer, erupts with huge, rotten flesh smelling...but beautiful....flowers, that attract golden flies that lay their eggs within the bloom, thus...hatching the flies maggots......Today, looking through some late 18th C hand-colored engravings, by happenstance, came across this picture of the plant, which now has a nomenclature......THE MAGGOT-BEARING STAPELIA (Mixed method engraving, including aquatint, mezzotint, stipple and line engraving, printed in color and finished by hand)   

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