Fanshawe Botanical gardens also includes some plants in the greenhouse. One of the greenhouse plant is Stapelia, an implausible plant with a remarkable feature.

Stapelia gigantea is an attention- grabbing plant that brings to mind the Christmas cactus, with its clumps of four-sided spineless stems. They are low, perennial succulents easily recognized by their stems, branches and surface. The stems are usually almost erect and their colour varies from green to reddish, depending on how exposed they are to sunlight. Occasionally the stems are mottled with red or purple on green. The thickness of the stem varies from five to 50 mm in diameter, and the plants can grow up to 41 cm tall.

The Stapelia is also referred to as the African starfish flower or the carrion flower. This is because the members of the genus Stapelia have a highly distinctive odour: they smell like rotting meat. These plants also physically resemble decaying animal matter, with their hairs, surface texture and colour. The odour and appearance fool flies and other insects into believing the flower is a piece of rotting meat on which to lay eggs. The relationship is mutually beneficial, as these insects act as pollinators for the plants.

These plants can grow well under sunlight, moderate watering and well-drained soil with small pebbles. The flowers generally bloom in September and have a circular fleshy disk in center. If the odour of rotting flesh is not a problem, this might be the plant for you.