Apocynaceae
Ceropegia

Ceropegia lugardiae N.E.Br.

First published in Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 30: 302 (1901)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Kenya to N. & Central Namibia. It is a semisucculent climber and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Goyder, D. J., Gilbert, M. G. & Venter, H. J. T. (2020). Apocynaceae (part 2). In: M. A. García (ed.), Flora Zambesiaca, Vol. 7(3). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Morphology Roots
Roots clustered, fleshy, fusiform
Vegetative Multiplication Tubers
Tuber absent
Morphology Stem
Stem twining, branched, fleshy, up to 5 m long, 1–2.5 mm thick, smooth or rugulose, glabrous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves ± fleshy; petiole (5)7–16(20) mm long; leaf blade oblong-ovate, less often oblong or ovate, (13)22–58(65) × (4)11–22(35) mm, base usually cordate, sometimes truncate to rarely rounded, margin entire, minutely ciliolate when young, apex shallowly retuse to rounded or occasionally acute, always prominently mucronate, both surfaces glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence extra-axillary, peduncle (6)11–45 mm long, glabrous; cyme umbel-like, 3–9-flowered; flowers opening in succession
Morphology General Buds
Bud with distinct beak
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona
Corona cup- shaped, outer lobes triangular, joined to bases of inner lobes, ascending, narrowly notched/ divided at apex, 1.5–2 mm long, teeth convergent, purple with long white hairs adaxially; inner lobes converging over gynostegium, 2–3 mm long, reddish, apices recurved
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Follicles and seed not recorded.
Type
Namibia, Damaraland, Bei Aitsas und Otjituo (Omaheke), 19.xii.1908, Dinter 703 (SAM0070993-1 lectotype), designated here (see below); loc. cit., Dinter 703a (B† syntype); beiEpata (Omaheke), 1300 m, Seiner 260 (B† syntype). Botswana, Kwebe Hills, Lugard 262 (K000305466 holotype).
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petiole (5)8–16(20) mm long; leaf blade oblong-ovate, less often oblong or ovate, (13)26– 42(60) × (6)12–21(35) mm, base cordate, rarely rounded
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
Peduncle (6)17–45 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicel (7.5)10–15 mm Pedicel (4)6–15 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals (2)3–5.5 × (0.3)0.7–1 mm Sepals narrowly lanceolate, (2)3–5.5 × (0.3)0.5–1.1(1.3) mm, glabrous to slightly pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla (25)36–45 mm long; tube (16)22–25 mm, basal chamber 4–8 mm wide, limb 2.2–5.5(7) mm wide, widening to 9–15.5 mm at mouth, exterior usually glabrous (one collection pubescent); lobes overall 15–24 mm long; triangular base (5)7–9 mm long, beak narrowly clavate, 9–14 mm long, lower part of beak ± cohering into column 3.5–7.5 mm long, terminal 4–10 mm expanded into fusiform to clavate cage, glabrous or sparsely ciliate/pilose. Corolla (19)23–45 mm long, bent at right angles above basal inflation; tube 13–26(29) mm, basal chamber ovoid, often indistinct, 3–8 mm wide, with slight depressions opposite apices of sepals, limb cylindrical, 1.5–5.5(7) mm wide, widening to 7.5–15.5 mm at mouth, exterior whitish or yellowish with purple spots, occasionally unmarked, glabrous or pubescent; interior with basal inflation with raised longitudinal ridges and long hairs at top; sinuses rounded, sometimes obscurely auriculate; lobes overall 6–24 mm long, triangular base plicate, 4–9(11) mm long, converging gradually, apices connate to form beaked cage, adaxially pale at base with purple veins, beak shortly cylindrical to clavate, 1.5–14 mm long, lower part of beak often cohering into glabrous column, purplish red, glabrous or sparsely ciliate/pilose
Distribution
Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique. Also known from Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya.
Ecology
Forest  and thickets on Kalahari sand, granite outcrops; (156)600–1600 m.
Conservation
LC, moderately frequently collected from over a wide area.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Vigorous twiner to 2 m high or more, generally glabrous, with fibrous roots.
Morphology General Exudate
Latex clear.
Morphology Stem
Stems sparsely branched, succulent, terete, 3–5 mm diameter, smooth or finely verrucose, greyish-green due to whitish bloom, young stems pruinose, glaucous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves herbaceous, occasionally semi-succulent; petioles 4–20(–40) mm long; lamina ovate, ovate-oblong to broadly elliptic or ± round, 18–85 × 6–55 mm, base cordate to rounded, sometimes with basal lobes overlapping, apex rounded with an apiculate tip to 3 mm long, margins occasionally wavy, finely ciliate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence pseudoumbellate, flowering stems are often short branches up to 160 mm long, up to 9-flowered, flowers opening successively, up to 2 flowers open at a time, scent not detectable or in some plants very mild; peduncle horizontal or slightly ascending, 6–20(–55) mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts subulate to lanceolate, 1–2.5 × ± 0.3 mm; pedicel (6–)10–20 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals linear-lanceolate, 3–5 × 0.5–1 mm, apically reflexed, abaxially yellowish-green with purplish-maroon spots.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 40–50 mm long; tube 17–27 mm long, with an indentation opposite each sepal, in basal 1/5 with pale greenish-yellow inflation 4–7 × 4–7 mm, then cream and ± straight or slightly curved and gradually narrowing into an ascending cylindrical part 3–4 mm diameter, gradually widening to 10–18 mm diameter in sulphur-yellow throat, with dark maroon/purple or reddish spots progressively becoming larger and more distinct in throat; occasionally tube generally uniformly greenish to greenish-yellow throughout; glabrous or finely sparsely pubescent; lobes completely folded back, 15–26 × 4–5 mm, apical 1/2– 2/3 linear-lanceolate from broader bases, connate at apices to form an oblong cage with acute apex, keels rarely touching basally, basal parts bright yellow-green with purplish-brown or brownish-maroon venation, upper part dark-maroon/purple, margins ciliate with pale or maroon vibratile hairs, keels in basal part with whitish downward-pointing hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona
Corona sessile, 4–5 × 4(–5) mm, basally laterally adnate to corolla and cupular, creamy or yellowish with purplemaroon; outer lobes ovate, forming 5 pouches, ± 1 × 1.5 mm, shallowly bifid (emarginate) with apices ± touching or ± erect, lobes with dense 0.5 mm needle-like inward-pointing purple-maroon hairs; inner lobes linear to ± spatulate, 3–4 × 0.5–0.8 mm, incumbent on anthers, then erect-connivent and apically recurved, bases purple-maroon with few needle-like hairs dorsally, passing into yellow-white or creamy and then purplish-maroon at apices, glabrous for the most part
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
Anthers subquadrate, yellowish, overtopping the rounded to flattened stylar head.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinia
Pollinia 0.4–0.45 × 0.2–0.25 mm; corpusculum obovate, 0.3 × 0.16 (apex) × 0.08 mm (centre)
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Follicles divergent at ± 45°, 90–145 × 4–5 mm, slightly curved, yellow-green with many dark maroon stripes and streaks, drying brownish with dark-brown/blackish streaks running lengthwise; seed 9–10 × 3 mm long, light brown with paler wings encrusted and wrinkled; coma 15–35 mm.
Ecology
Acacia-Commiphora bushland and thickets; 550–2150 m
Note
C. lugardiae is a close relative of the C. distincta complex and C. aristolochioides.
Distribution
Range: Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana Flora districts: K4 K6 T2 T3 T5 T6 T7
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0