The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Stapelia \Sta*pe"li*a\ (-l[i^]*[.a]), n. [NL. So named after
   John Bodaeus a Stapel, a physician of Amsterdam.] (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.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

stapelia
    n 1: any of various plants of the genus Stapelia having
         succulent leafless toothed stems resembling cacti and large
         foul-smelling (often star-shaped) flowers [syn: stapelia,
         carrion flower, starfish flower]