Stapelia grandiflora Masson

Often large succulent forming compact clump up to 1 m diam. or more. Stems 60-300 mm long, 20-40 mm thick, decumbent, shortly pubescent, usually grey-green; tubercles widely spaced along stems, not prominent, joined into 4 obtuse angles along stem; leaf-rudiments 3-5 mm long. Inflorescences pubescent, 1 per stem near base, of 1-5 successively developing flowers on short stout peduncle; pedicel 10-70 mm long, 3-5 mm thick, spreading with flower facing ± horizontally; sepals 4-15 mm long, 2-3 mm broad at base, lanceolate, acute. Corolla (50-)80-220 mm diam., rotate usually with strongly recurved lobes; outside pale green with 3-5 raised longitudinal veins; inside transversely narrowly rugulose, ridges purplish red and between them yellow, changing to ± uniformly purplish red towards apices of lobes and near margin, covered particularly towards (often somewhat papillate) margin with soft mostly white hairs up to 10 mm long; tube 5-8 mm long, 15 mm broad, pentagonal, funnel-shaped, caused mainly by thickening in corolla; lobes 30-80 mm long, 20-40 mm broad at base, oblong to elliptic or ovate, acute, usually slightly convex from recurved margins. Corona 10-12 mm tall, 15-20 mm broad, raised on stout obtusely pentagonal yellow stipe ±1.5 mm long, red to purple becoming yellow towards apices and base; outer lobes 7-9 mm long, spreading and slightly ascending, linear sometimes broadening towards dentate to acute apex, channelled down upper surface; inner lobes 6-11 mm long, incumbent on backs of anthers then erect and slightly recurved near apices, dorsiventrally flattened near base becoming laterally flattened above, acute, with laterally flattened wing-like erect and broad dorsal horn attached in lower half (for most of its length).