Ceropegia L.

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herbs; rootstock a cluster of fusiform roots or a subglobose tuber or, in the case of the more succulent species, plant with fibrous roots only, rarely plants rhizomatous

Morphology Stem

Stems twining or, less often, erect, sometimes succulent and persistent; latex usually clear, sometimes cloudy in the more succulent species

Morphology Leaves

Leaves herbaceous, succulent or, less often, reduced to scales, rarely ± lobed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence sessile or pedunculate, mostly contracted and umbel-like, less often elongated and raceme-like or paniculate; pedicel always present

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals small, mostly lanceolate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla very variable and often complex in form, indumentum and colouring, occasionally distinctly zygomorphic; tube well developed, usually with a distinct basal swelling around the corona, sometimes with an internal annulus, often ciliate inside; lobes mostly shorter than tube, mostly remaining attached at tips to form a “cage”-like structure over the mouth of the tube, less often spreading to reflexed, often with bright green or brown tips, usually hairy

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona

Corona gynostegial, double; outer lobes mostly 2-toothed, sometimes very short; inner lobes usually ± linear, much longer than anthers and connivent into column over stigma cap

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinia

Pollinia with simple translator arms; pollen masses with prominent translucent margins

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Follicles usually paired, slender, narrowly or widely divergent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds with a tuft of hairs at one end.

Distribution

Genus of near 400 species, most numerous within Africa south of the Sahara but extending to the Canary Islands and through tropical Asia to China and Australia.

Note

Many species have flowers with somewhat cryptic coloration and members of this genus are difficult to spot in the field, even when the flowers are quite large.

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herbs, stems twining or less often erect, sometimes succulent and persistent.

Morphology General Exudate

Latex usually clear, occasionally cloudy or milky in the more succulent species.

Morphology Roots

Rootstock a fascicle of fusiform roots or a subglobose to compressed tuber or, in the case of the more succulent species, plant usually with fibrous roots, occasionally plants with a pyriform tuber or a rhizomatous root system

Morphology Leaves

Leaves herbaceous, succulent or, less often, rudimentary and sometimes reduced to scales, rarely ± lobed, glabrous or pubescent; petiole often adaxially channeled

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence extra-axillary sessile or pedunculate, mostly contracted into a pseudoumbel, less often elongated and raceme-like or paniculate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel

Pedicel always present.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals small, mostly lanceolate or subulate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla very variable and often complex in form, indumentum and colouring, occasionally zygomorphic; corolla tube well developed, usually with a distinct basal swelling around the corona, sometimes with an internal annulus, often with ciliate hairs on inside; corolla lobes mostly shorter than corolla tube, mostly remaining attached at tips to form a cagelike structure over the mouth of the corolla tube, less often spreading to reflexed, usually hairy

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona

Gynostegial corona biseriate; with 5 staminal (inner) and 5 interstaminal (outer) parts; outer lobes mostly 2-toothed, sometimes teeth very short; inner corona lobes usually dorsiventrally compressed, ± linear, mostly much longer than anthers and connivent into a column over stylar head or free, rarely rudimentary and shorter than anthers Corolline corona absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinarium

Pollinarium of two shiny yellowish or occasionally shiny orange pollinia laterally attached to a central hard, shiny, brown corpusculum by very short simple terete whitish-translucent caudicles; pollen with prominent apical translucent margins (germination mouths)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Follicles paired, narrowly or widely divergent, usually slender and smooth, occasionally thick and smooth or verrucose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds dorsiventrally flattened, ovate to oblong, with a smooth generally blackish to brown central part enclosing the embryo surrounded by a narrow, thinner, paler margin; coma of white silky hairs at micropylar end.

Note

There is considerable uncertainty as to the number of species as many are apparently extremely rare whilst others seem to have very disjunct distributions. 51 species recognised for FTEA. Many species have flowers with somewhat cryptic coloration and members of this genus are difficult to spot in the field, even when the flowers are quite large. The basal parts are very characteristic and should always be recorded. Swollen roots of many species are recorded as edible, often as thirst quenchers.

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

Morphology General Habit

Geophytic perennial herbs, usually dwarf, with a single tuber or a cluster of fleshy, fusiform roots.

Morphology General Exudate

Latex clear.

Morphology Stem

Stems prostrate or procumbent to erect, never twining, single or variously branched

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite, herbaceous, never rudimentary, sessile or with a short petiole, without glands at base

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence lateral or terminal, pedicellate, 1–many-flowered umbellate cyme, rarely a racemelike pedunculate panicle (e.g B. rubellum)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals without basal glands within

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla with united base, sometimes ± tubular, mainly campanulate to shallowly bowl-shaped, tube rarely longer than lobes; lobes free at tips and rotately spreading, rarely connate at tips (e.g B floribundum var mlimakito and B gracile), flat or replicate, broadest at base, rarely broader at apex (e.g B. rubellum)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona

Corolline corona absent Gynostegial corona arising from staminal column, sessile or subsessile, 2-seriate or sometimes appearing 1-seriate; interstaminal (outer) parts cupular (with the inner corona lobes arising from within), disciform, or variously lobed or toothed or pocket-like and confluent with lateral margins of inner lobes; staminal (inner) parts incumbent on backs of anthers and occasionally elongated above staminal column, sometimes reduced to cushion-like swellings at bases of anthers

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers 2-locular, oblong or subquadrate, without appendages, incumbent or inflexed on the conical-convex to flattened stylar head at centre of staminal column.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinia

Pollinia subglobose, oblong or suborbicular, often D-shaped; subhorizontal or ascending, solitary in each anther theca, pellucid on inner margin to varying degrees, attached in pairs by short delicate caudicles to a hard, often winged, corpusculum

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Follicles fusiform, linear-fusiform or ellipsoid, smooth, green, sometimes mottled

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds oblong, convex on one side, flat or concave on other, with narrow marginal wing, crowned with a coma of tufted long hairs at the chalazal end.