It shares this character with Ceropegia Haygarthii, Schlechter, and in this respect the two species are unique amongst the South African species. In C. Haygarthii, however, the corolla is very widely globose at the base, the calyx lobes are longer, and the peculiar stalk to the corolla lobes is at least three or four times as long. These differences seem to warrant the description of a new species. The curiously shaped flowers should make this species an object of interest in the greenhouse.
Description:—A climber. Stem fleshy, glabrous. Leaves shortly petioled, 3·5-6 cm. long, 1·5-3·5 cm. broad, broadly oblong or oblong-ovate, apex rounded and shortly pointed, cordate at the base, glabrous; lateral nerves about four on each side; petiole about 1 cm. long. Inflorescence a 1-3-flowered axillary cyme; pedicels 1·2-1·5 cm. long, terete, glabrous. Sepals 4-5 mm. long, subulate, glabrous. Corolla abruptly bent at a right angle near the base; tube (following the bend) 2·6 cm. long, globosely inflated at the base, widening upwards and about 2 cm. in diameter at the mouth, glabrous without, finely pilose within; lobes free at the base, abruptly inflexed over the mouth of the tube and produced beneath into broad triangular partition-like green plates or keels, meeting at the centre and connate into a slender erect column about 2-3 mm. long, then again becoming free and expanding into elliptic-lanceolate replicate segments, connate at the tips, forming a small apical ellipsoid cage-like body, 5-8 mm. long, ciliate on the margins. Outer corona cupular, with five broad emarginate lobes arising to the level of the staminal column, ciliate and hairy within with long fine hairs; inner corona lobes about 2·5 mm. long, linear, connivent-erect over the staminal column, with revolute tips. Follicles about 14 cm. long, strongly falcate, recurved at the tips.
Plate 44.—Fig. 1, portion of stem with leaves and flowers, nat. size; Fig. 2, calyx; Fig. 3, lobe of corolla; Fig. 4, outer and inner corona; Fig. 5, staminal column; Fig. 6, pollinia; Fig. 7, follicles, nat. size. All enlarged with the exceptions of Figs. 1 and 7.
F.P.S.A., 1922.
