Stems 20-150 mm long, 8-20 mm thick, dull green to grey often mottled with purple; tubercles ± rectangular, laterally flattened, joined into 4 (very rarely 5) angles up stem, each bearing towards apex a narrowly deltoid leaf-rudiment 3-6 mm long with 2 stipular denticles at its base, leaf-rudiments soon drying out, often persisting as weak whitish spinescent husk. Inflorescences usually 1 per stem, arising in upper half, of 1-3 flowers developing in gradual succession, occasionally with small peduncle up to 5 mm long with several lanceolate laterally toothed bracts 1.5-3.0 mm long; pedicel 2-6 mm long, 2 mm thick, ascending, pinkish; sepals 6-8 mm long, ±2 mm broad at base, lanceolate, acuminate, spreading to descending in upper half, pale grey-green. Corolla 20-30 mm diam., shallowly campanulate; outside spotted and longitudinally streaked with dull purple on grey-green; inside brown-red or brown becoming finely mottled with yellow in base of tube, sometimes conspicuously mottled with yellow all over, sometimes faintly transversely rugulose, with low rounded papillae each with a small apical bristle; tube 4-10 mm long, 7-10 mm broad at mouth, cupular, pentagonal, with corolla thickened around mouth beneath sinuses of lobes; lobes 7-12 mm long, 6-8 mm broad at base, deltate-ovate, acute, ascending to recurved, convex above with margins slightly recurved, with clavate purplish vibratile cilia 1.5-2.2 mm long along margins near bases. Corona 7-10 mm tall, 6-7 mm broad, seated on very short stipe, purple to pink or pale brown, exterior usually with sweat-like droplets secreted over surface; outer lobes <1 mm long, spreading, forming shallow pouch joining ‘bases’ of inner lobes; inner lobes 3-6 mm long, initially incumbent on backs of anthers then erect and connivent above them, dorsiventrally flattened and somewhat broadened below, ± terete and narrower above, parts above anthers very closely laterally adpressed to one another, acute to obtuse.
More
Perennial herb, 20-150 mm high. Stems succulent; green to grey mottled purple. Leaves rudimentary. Flowers: outer corona much reduced; corolla 20-30 mm wide, campanulate, fleshy; tube cupular, 4-10 mm long, 7-10 mm broad at mouth; lobes 7-12 x 6-8 mm, deltate ovate, clavate hairs near base of sinus, surface papillate; maroon-red spotted on a yellow to cream-coloured background; Dec.-May. Fruit a follicle.
A herb. It forms mats 15-30 cm across. Stems are usually 5 cm tall. Flowers are 3 cm across. The fruit is a follicle.
Home
