Sta*pe"li*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.
© Webster 1913.