Plate 140.
CEROPEGIA AMPLIATA.
Cape Province, Natal.
Asclepiadaceae. Tribe Ceropegieae.
Ceropegia, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. ii. p. 779.
Ceropegia ampliata, E. Mey. Comm. 194; Fl. Cap. vol. iv. sect. i. p. 817.
The species of Ceropegia, figured here for the first time, belongs to the same group in the genus as C. Meyeri (Plate 30), which is characterised by the tips of the petals being connate and forming a cage-like top to the flower. Ceropegia ampliata is one of the five South African species collected by Drège, all of which were described by E. Meyer.
The plant is a twiner or scrambler, devoid of leaves at the flowering period. The flowers are pale green with a purple band within the corolla-tube, which is visible through the wall of the tube. It is not such a striking plant as some of the species we have previously figured, but the purple band on a background of green gives the individual flower a very pleasing effect.
Our Plate was prepared from a living plant lent by Mr. W. Haygarth to the late Dr. J. Medley Wood.