Ceropegia affinis Vatke

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

Morphology General Habit

Twining herb up to 2 m, glabrous except for flowers; rootstock a cluster of fleshy fusiform roots; stems ± succulent, becoming slightly woody

Morphology Leaves

Petiole 5–6 mm long; blade narrowly lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 20–55 × 6–20 mm, base rounded, apex acute-apiculate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence umbel-like, usually few-flowered; peduncle 12–30 mm long; pedicel 10–15 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals 2–4 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 11–25 mm long, erect or ascending, outside glabrous, mostly densely dark spotted and veined; tube 8–15 mm long, interior ciliate, lower 3/5ths dark purple-red, basal swelling white at base, not sharply delimited, upper part of tube 3–3.5 mm wide, widening abruptly to 6.5–8 mm at mouth; lobes triangular-ovate, 3–6 mm long, remaining attached at tip to form very rounded cage, purple-ciliate, especially on margins

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona

Outer corona-lobes emarginate or shortly 2-toothed, slightly higher than bases of inner lobes, ciliate; inner lobes connivent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Follicles c. 8 cm long, narrowly divergent.

Distribution

N2; Socotra, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya

Ecology

Altitude range c. 2025 m.

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial twiner to 3 m high.

Morphology General Exudate

Latex clear.

Morphology Roots

A cluster of fusiform roots up to 180 mm long, 5–10 mm diameter, with fibrous roots to 160 mm arising from ends, or with a swollen rootstock to 15 mm diameter from which fusiform roots arise, or with a rhizome swollen at the end and with a further cluster of fusiform roots.

Morphology Stem

Stems herbaceous and green with maroon spots and streaks, or semi-succulent and glaucous tinged maroon with faint white spots in lines, sparsely branched, 1–3 mm diameter, glabrous or rarely hairy

Morphology Leaves

Leaves herbaceous or older ones stiffly succulent, spreading; petiole 2–8 mm long; lamina ovate, linear or narrowly lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 20–60 × 5–20, base rounded or cuneate, apex acute to acuminate, subtruncate and apiculate, glabrous or thinly puberulous on both sides, dark green to purplish, margin ciliate, sometimes narrowly revolute

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence perennial, pseudoumbellate at first and after several flowering seasons elongating into a long articulated zigzag ± racemose inflorescence with old bracts mostly intact, greyishmaroon to greenish-purple in most parts, up to 9-flowered, flowers opening successively, with intense scent reminiscent of raw mushrooms, sometimes combined with production of clear liquid droplets in apical part of lobes; peduncle 10–45 mm long, mostly glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Bracts subulate, ± 1 × 0.5 mm; pedicel 5–15 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals purplish to maroonish-yellow, lanceolate or subulate, 1–3 × 0.5 mm, basally clasping inflation, sometimes apices recurved, glabrous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 21–29 mm; tube 16–21 mm long, with five indentations at base, in basal 1/4–1/3 with a slight inflation 5–6 × 4–5 mm with a gentle constriction in middle, then narrowing and gently curved into a long ascending cylindrical part to 2.5–3 mm diameter, dilated in throat to 4–7 mm diameter; exterior whitish-translucent to creamy at very base, passing into silvery-grey to whitish-cream with purple-maroon longitudinal lines or short purple-maroon longitudinal streaks and spots continuing up to the lobes, glabrous; lobes 5–8 × 1.5–2 mm, basally gently curved back with margins strongly rolled back, auriculate hence producing sinuses, in apical half completely folded back; apices connate to form a ± globose cage 6–9 mm diameter; adaxially green-yellow and greener at apices with red-maroon veins or reddish-maroon throughout, keels with long needle-like reddish-maroon downward-pointing hairs, faces and margins with dense reddishmaroon outward-pointing hairs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona

Corona (sub-)sessile, ± 4.5 × 4 mm, constricted in basal 1/4, basally cupular, whitish to cream with purple-maroon in parts; outer lobes ovate to rounded, ± 1.5 × 1.5 mm, emarginate, teeth ± 0.3 mm long, margins purplemaroon and covered with whitish and purple-maroon hairs; inner lobes linear, erectconnivent, 2.5–3 × 0.4 mm, apically recurved, rising well above outer lobes; bases purplish-maroon, dorsally with whitish and purplish needle-like hairs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers subquadrate, incumbent on the ± rounded to flattened stylar head and overtopping it, guide rails ± 700 µm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinia

Pollinia ± 0.3 × 0.17–0.22 mm; corpusculum ± T-shaped, 0.22–0.24 × 0.15–0.18 × 0.05–0.08 mm. Carpels glabrous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Follicles paired, erect, acutely divergent 70–100 × 3 mm diameter at centre, at maturity grey-green with black-maroon streaks; seed reddish-brown, ± 5 × 1.5 mm, with a pale yellowish-brown margin; coma ± 20 mm long.

Ecology

Acacia-Commiphora woodland; 450–1700 m

Note

Closely related to C. racemosa and C. carnosa.

Distribution

Range: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia Flora districts: U1 K2 K7