Ceropegia purpurascens K.Schum.

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 17: 152 (1893)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to Caprivi Strip. It is a climbing tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Twiner to 2 m high, leafy.
Morphology General Exudate
Latex clear.
Morphology Roots
Rootstock a roundish tuber 20–60 mm diameter.
Morphology Stem
Stems sparsely branched, slender, dying back during dry seasons, glabrous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves herbaceous; petiole 5–10 mm; lamina ovate, ovate-oblong or rarely broadly elliptic, 17–40(–70) × 9–25 mm, base cordate or rounded, apex acute, acuminate, rarely mucronulate or truncate, glabrous or occasionally sparsely pilose, margin minutely ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences umbellate, up to 10-flowered, flowers developing successively, without detectable scent; peduncle 10–35 mm long, pendent, glabrous, rarely thinly pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts subulate, ± 1 × 0.5 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicels 4–8 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals purplish, linear-subulate, 1–2 × 0.5 mm, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 19–25 mm long; tube purplish-white to greenish, 12–16 mm long, in basal 1/3 with an inflation 4–5 × 3–4 mm with purple flecks, with 5 indentations at base opposite sepals, then curved through 90° and narrowing into a long ascending cylindrical part ± 2 mm diameter, dilated to 6–7 mm in throat; glabrous or rarely pilose; interior pale maroon to creamy/greenish, sparsely purplish pilose in throat; lobes 12–16 × ± 0.5 mm, ± subequal to tube length, linear from broad deltoid bases and with conspicuous basal, horn-like auricles below sinuses of adjacent lobes, plicate for most of the their length, connate at their tips to form an elongated ± oblong or elliptic cage, adaxially from bases yellowish-green passing into some bluish in middle 1/3; in apical 2/3– 3/4 ciliate with whitish to purplish vibratile hairs on faces and margins, keels with inwardpointing hairs more dense in basal areas; abaxially visible parts yellowish-green and glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona
Corona distinctly stipitate, whitish translucent, 3–4 × 2.8 mm; outer lobes forming 5 separate cupular spaces ± 1 mm deep, apically broadly bifid, teeth triangular, diverging, appearing to arise as shoulders from the bases of inner lobes, adaxially purplish-maroon and sparsely whitish-ciliate in marginal areas; inner lobes laterally compressed and falcate or rarely linear-subulate, 2–2.5 × 0.2–0.6 mm, apically recurved, mostly free from bases to apex, wholly glabrous or pilose in parts and pilose-crenulate at apices
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
Anthers subquadrate, overtopping stylar head.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynostegium
Gynostegium, pollinia and guide rails well exposed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinia
Pollinia bright orange, elliptic, ± 0.25 × 0.2 mm; corpusculum dark orange, ± linear-obovate, ± 0.15 × 0.05 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Follicles paired, obtusely divergent, ± 110 mm long × 2–3 mm diameter at centre; seed not recorded.
Ecology
Thickets and forest edges; 700–800 m
Note
A variable species; variation in material hitherto known as subspecies thysanotos also occurs in the typical subspecies, therefore no infraspecific taxa are recognised here. C. purpurascens is distantly related to members of the C. linearis - C. imbricata complex. The corolla and corona are quite distinct.
Distribution
Flora districts: T4 T6 T7 Range: Congo-Kinshasa, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia
[FTEA]

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.

Type
Angola, Cuanza Norte by PungoAndongo, 1879, von Mechow 122 (Z000001600 holotype).
Morphology Roots
Roots fibrous
Vegetative Multiplication Tubers
Tuber depressed globose, to 6 cm diam., sometimes in chains along rhizome
Morphology Stem
Stem twining, sparsely branched, herbaceous, up to 3 meters long, internodes to 13 cm long, 1–2 mm diam., glabrous to puberulous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves herbaceous; petiole 5–30 mm long, puberulous; leaf blade oblong to ovate-oblong, (17)25–70 × 12–40 mm, base cordate to rounded, margin entire, ciliolate, apex acute to acuminate, apiculate, both surfaces glabrous to puberulous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence extra-axillary, peduncle descending, 10–35 mm long, glabrous to thinly pubescent; cyme umbel- like, 3–10(16)-flowered, flowers opening in succession
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicel 4–15 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals subulate- lanceolate, purplish, 1–2 × c.0.5 mm, apex acuminate, glabrous
Morphology General Buds
Bud with raised sinuses and narrowly clavate beak
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 18–22(25) mm long; straight or bent at right angle above basal chamber; tube 8–18 mm long; basal chamber 4–5 × 2–5 mm wide, limb cylindrical above, 1.5–2 mm diam., widening to 6–7 mm at mouth, exterior greenish to purplish white, glabrous or pubescent, interior purplish below mouth, sparsely purplish pilose in throat; sinuses rounded- acuminate, spreading and gaping, raised in bud, not or very slightly auriculate; lobes linear from short triangular base, 6–20 × c.0.5 mm wide, revolute, apices connate to form slightly beaked cage, slightly narrower than mouth, apex ± rounded to subacute, abaxially similar to tube, adaxially throat and lobes pale yellow except for dull purple mark above triangular base, long, purple or white ciliate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona
Corona stipitate; outer corona lobes shallowly cupular, broadly bifid, c.1 mm high, teeth c.0.5 mm long, diverging, sparsely ciliolate; inner lobes linear-spathulate to falcate, c.2 mm long, much exceeding staminal column, laterally compressed, apices obtuse, recurved, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinia
Pollinia ellipsoid, bright orange
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed not recorded. Follicles obtusely diverging to slightly reflexed, linear-fusiform, 10–15 × 0.2–0.3 cm wide at middle, glabrous
Distribution
Caprivi, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique. Also known from Namibia and Tanzania
Ecology
Rock outcrops, Brachystegia woodland, forest and thicket fringes, often in relatively damp shady situations; 750–1450(1750) m.
Conservation
LC, quite frequently collected over a very wide area.
[FZ]

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 2024. 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 2024. 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