Stapeliinae is a subtribe of flowering plants within the tribe Ceropegieae of the subfamily Asclepiadoideae of the family Apocynaceae.

Most of the genera of plants within the subtribe Stapeliinae are to varying degrees stem succulents, often referred to as "stapeliads".

The leaves are in most species reduced to rudiments, sometimes hardened and thornlike, arranged on bumps or tubercles on the angles.

Caralluma europaea) is found in Europe, in the very southern part of the Iberian peninsula and in the island of Lampedusa.

Certain aspects of these reproductive parts mirror the pollination systems in the orchid family and represent a case of parallel evolution though both groups are quite unrelated and have developed similar, though not identical means to achieve the ultimate goal of pollination and therefore reproduction.

Most stapeliads use flies as pollinators, that are attracted to odours resembling dung or rotting meat, emanating from the flowers.

[7] In 2004, Ulrich Meve and Sigrid Liede reintroduced the subtribe as a division of the tribe Ceropegieae, supported by molecular phylogenetic studies.