Succulents can thrive in a variety of environments, but the combination of extreme cold and wet soil can have disastrous consequences. Flowering succulents are often used to provide colorful groundcover, while demanding minimal maintenance. Succulents used as groundcover will typically bloom with an abundant of small, colorful blossoms. Yet, there are a few varieties of succulent plants that have large flowers.
The noble star flower, or Stapelia nobilis, is a succulent noted for its enormous flower blossoms. Unfortunately, the flowers have an unpleasant odor and are best appreciated from a distance. The large flowers also attract flies. Their star-shaped, puffy blossoms can grow up to 16 inches wide. The giant toad plant, another variety of the stapelia, has red-ringed, yellow flowers with fine purplish hairs, which can grow as large as the noble star's blossoms. Succulents in this family are also known as the giant Zulu, starfish flower and the Carrion flower.
The caralluma is a small succulent that's native to arid regions near the Mediterranean. The flower of this succulent can grow to 5 inches across, and may grow in clusters. Its fleshy, fat purple flower is a five-pointed star shape with an unpleasant smell. Flowers begin blooming in the summer, yet if the plant is grown indoors, they rarely flower.
Native to the mountains of the Canary Islands, the greenovia succulent plant is grown as a houseplant in the United States. While the individual flower may not be considered large, its flower stalk will grow up to 18 inches high during the growing season in early spring. A large cluster of yellow flowers grows atop the stem.
The argyroderma is an intriguing succulent that resembles a green rock which has split in two, and from the break grows a magnificent flower. While the flower itself may not be large when compared to other flowers, in some varieties of the plant the flowers appear proportionally larger than the rest of the plant.