Dwarf to small succulent, usually consisting of several small clumps (to 100 mm diam.) connected by long rhizomes. Stems 20-100 mm long, 6-15 mm thick (excluding teeth), slender to stout, erect above soil often from horizontal subterranean rhizome up to 500 mm long, grey-green flecked with purple-brown; tubercles 4-20 mm long, arranged into 4 obtuse rows along stems with groove between rows, prominent to very prominent, laterally flattened, deltoid, acute to acuminate, usually with pair of deltoid stipular denticles shortly below apex. Inflorescence 1 per stem near base, of 1-5 flowers developing in gradual succession from short fleshy peduncle <5 mm long; pedicel 25-50 mm long, ±2 mm thick, horizontally spreading then descending with abruptly upturned apex; sepals 4-6 mm long, 1.5-2.0 mm broad at base, ovate, acuminate to attenuate. Corolla 30-75 mm diam., rotate, very deeply lobed; outside pale green with purplish spots arranged in longitudinal lines; inside pale greenish yellow to white dotted or irregularly transversely banded with red-purple to maroon (dots often sunken) becoming pinkish to maroon towards centre and sometimes coalescing to solid red-purple towards apices of lobes, smooth to slightly papillate; tube 0.5-1.0 mm deep, formed by small thickened annulus around base of gynostegium; lobes 12-32 mm long, 615 mm broad at base, spreading, slightly recurved towards apices, convex from reflexed margins, oblong, obtuse to subacute, margins in lower two thirds with vibratile flattened clavate white to purple cilia 1.5-3.0 mm long. Corona 3.5-4.5 mm tall, 4.5-7.0 mm broad, dome-shaped, pentagonal to circular, raised above annulus on pentagonal stipe 1-2 mm long, sometimes concave beneath and sometimes narrowing into stipe, yellow to orange or pink or maroon; outer lobes continuous and disc-like around gynostegium, forming horizontal spreading platform (0.5-2.0 mm wide) below guide-rails (sometimes considerably reduced) with much swollen often somewhat rugulose ± rectangular ridge 1.5-2.0 mm long (sometimes with crenulate outer margin) behind anthers rising up to meet inner lobes; inner lobes <1.0 mm long, adpressed to and sometimes slightly longer than backs of anthers, deltoid, subacute to obtusely truncate.
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Decumbent, tufted and succulent perennial herb. Corolla deeply lobed, cilia silvery white, ± 3 mm long. Corona lacking outer lobes, ± circular; the 5 inner lobes relatively narrow, widening at middle, ± broadly apiculate, equalling or slightly exceeding anthers. Flowers greenish yellow with reddish purple spots.
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