Quaqua linearis (N.E.Br.) Bruyns

Small succulent up to 200 mm tall and 150 mm broad, rooting on central stem only and branching mainly above base. Stems 50-200 mm long, 10-25 mm thick, erect, uniformly dark green to purple-black and particularly dark on young growth; tubercles 2-5 mm long, broadly deltoid, laterally flattened, joined into 4 obtuse angles along stem, each tipped with small hardened deltoid tooth mostly <1 mm long flanked by 2 very small stipular denticles. Inflorescence of 1-6 often simultaneously opening flowers in lax fascicles mainly in upper parts of stem; pedicel 1-7(-10) mm long, 1.5 mm thick, spreading and holding flower facing horizontally; sepals 2.0-2.5 mm long, ovate-acute. Corolla 12-18 mm long, 9-22 mm diam., usually campanulate; outside red-purple on lobes becoming white towards base of lobes and on tube; inside white in tube and on base of lobes and dark red-purple above, glabrous and smooth; tube 3-4 mm long, 5 mm broad at mouth, cupular, with corolla only slightly thickened at mouth; lobes 8-14 mm long, 2-4 mm broad at base, erect to spreading, strongly folded back longitudinally along middle so that most of lobe only 1 mm broad, often widening again slightly before abruptly acute and slightly incurved apex. Corona ±2.5 mm tall, 2.2-2.8 mm broad, purple on lobes becoming white towards base, raised on very short stipe; outer lobes ±1 mm long, erect, shortly bifid into ± erect deltoid obtuse lobules (sometimes with denticle between them), fused laterally in lower half to bases of inner lobes to form deep pouch; inner lobes 2 mm long, adpressed to backs of anthers then rising in column above centre and curving outwards, linear, obtuse, dorsiventrally flattened, without dorsal projection.