Pauline

I checked out the plant and noticed what an interesting flower they give! Is the smell supposed to be so bad or did you just have bad luck with the maggots and flies?

Did you manage to get any fruit growing on it?

David.

i dont know if this applies to your cactus . but there are plants in the world that are often blood red and foul smelling . these attract flies on purpose disguising themselves as rotting flesh , the flies arrive polinate the plant the maggots emerge then die as there is no flesh to eat. i have a plant like this it is the dracunculus vulgarus. the most famous plant of this type is the amorphophalus from borneo. in one sense it is the largest flower in the world . it stinks and its smell carries for miles.attracting small flies that pollinate i. i said it is the largest flower in the world , it is infact thousands of v small flowers clustered to gether, but looks like one flower. then again you might have planted the leg of a horse by mistake

Lucky you :-)) This has a fantastic flower, but, yes, as you say, it does pong just a "little" bit. It is one of the succulents that are known as carrion flowers and come from the arid areas of S. Africa. The smell is designed to attract flies to pollinate it, and any maggots you saw will have well and truely starved to death by now. They are definately not vegitarian.
Did you manage to get any pics of it? If so please post and let us all enjoy the sight, but not the odour.

LOL

Fof