Ceropegia kituloensis Masinde & F.Albers

Apocynaceae (part 2), David Goyder, Timothy Harris, Siro Masinde, Ulrich Meve, Johan Venter. Flora of Tropical East Africa, 2012

Habit

Dwarf, erect herb 7–18 cm high.

Exudate

Latex colour unknown.

Roots

Rootstock roundish tuber, ± 10 × 8 mm deep, smooth.

Stem

Stems herbaceous, leafy, rarely branching, ± 1.5 mm diameter, with 2 rows of whitish-translucent pubescence

Leaves

Leaves herbaceous; petiole 1–2 mm long; stipules interpetiolar, of minute tufts of hairs; lamina narrowly ovatelanceolate or narrowly-elliptic, (0.8–)12–33 × 3–9 mm, base acuminate, apex acute, green, pubescent above, ± glabrous or sparsely pubescent beneath, margins finely ciliate

Inflorescences

Inflorescence extra-axillary, 1-flowered, sessile; single accompanying bract lanceolate-subulate, 2–3 × 1 mm, acute; pedicel 5–11 mm long

Calyx

Sepals narrowlylanceolate, 2–6 × 5 mm, apically recurved, abaxially pubescent

Corolla

Corolla 26–38 mm long; tube 18–21 mm long, in basal ± 1/4– 1/3 with a globose inflation ± 6 × 7 mm, narrowing into an ascending cylindrical part ± 2.5 mm diameter, expanding gradually to ± 3.5 mm diameter in throat; exterior greenish, glabrous; interior colour unknown, completely glabrous including basal inflation; lobes erect, linear, 10–22 × ± 1 mm, apically connate, margins recurved, apically brownish or blackish, entirely glabrous adaxially and abaxially including margins

Corona

Corona subsessile, ± 3 × 3 mm, basally cupular; inner lobes connivent-erect or free, spatulate, ± 2 × 0.3 mm, glabrous; outer lobes suberectly spreading, forming 5 open pockets, each ± 1.4 × 1.4 mm, margins entire, glabrous

Gynostegium

Gynostegium subsessile

Anthers

Anthers incumbent on and overtopping stylar head, guide rails 0.3–0.6 mm long, ± straight, well exposed, not widened at base.

Pollinia

Pollinia 0.25–0.31 × 0.17–0.24 mm; corpusculum obovate, 0.14–0.19 × 0.05–0.06 mm

Fruits

Follicles and seed unknown.

Ecology

On ± treeless crests of Kitulo Plateau, in rocky ground; 2400–2750 m

Note

C. kituloensis is related to C. achtenii and probably also to C. gilgiana and C. abyssinica. The specimen, Richards 7560 (K), Kitulo [Elton] Plateau, 2400 m, 7 Jan. 1957, may be a hybrid between C. achtenii De Wild. and C. kituloensis and not C. achtenii   C. abyssinica Decne. as previously supposed by H. Huber in his determination of 1957. It shows a much closer resemblance to C. kituloensis in its flowers and bifarious-hairy stems but it has a climbing habit. Another collection showing intermediate characteristics between C. achtenii and C. kituloensis is Bidgood et al. 2319 from Chunya District: 8 km on Makongolosi-Mbeya road, 17 Feb. 1994.

Distribution

Flora districts: T7 Range: Not known elsewhere