Succulent forming dense to diffuse clump 80-450 mm diam. Stems 50-300 mm long, 10-20 mm thick, decumbent, ± glabrous, green sometimes mottled with red; tubercles 2-4 mm long, widely spaced along stem and obtusely conical, joined into 4 obtuse angles (concave between them); leaf-rudiments 1-2 mm long. Inflorescence finely pubescent, 1 per stem near base, with 1-3 flowers opening in gradual succession on short stout peduncle (5-15 mm long); pedicel 15-60 mm long, 2-4 mm thick, reddish, spreading with flower facing horizontally or slightly upwards; sepals 8-13 mm long, lanceolate, attenuate, purplish green. Corolla 28-35 mm diam. (50-70 mm if lobes spread out), ± turban-shaped; outside purplish cream with 3-7 darker longitudinal veins; inside purple-red (brown) over whole surface or with few transverse yellow lines on lobes, covered all over with fine purple-red (brown) hairs somewhat longer and denser towards margins; tube <5 mm deep, pentagonal, shallowly bowl-shaped, with corolla very slightly thickened around mouth; lobes 16-25 mm long, 15-19 mm broad at base, ovate, acute, strongly folded back behind corolla. Corona 9-10 mm tall, ±12 mm broad, raised on short obtusely pentagonal stipe 1.0-1.5 mm tall, purple-red becoming yellow towards apices of lobes, glabrous; outer lobes 4-6 mm long, ±2 mm broad at max., ascending to spreading with recurved acute to toothed apex, oblong, deeply channelled down upper surface; inner lobes ±6 mm long, incumbent on backs of anthers then connivent-erect and erect to slightly recurved towards tips, dorsiventrally flattened near base becoming laterally flattened above, uniformly dark purple or suffused with yellow towards tips, sometimes with laterally flattened spreading deltoid dorsal wing fused to it at least in lower half.
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Perennial succulent; stems decumbent to erect, 50-300 x 10-20 mm, ± glabrous, green infused with red, 4-angled, obtusely tuberculate. Flowers 1-3; pedicels 15-60 mm long. Sepals 5-13 mm long. Corolla 28-35 mm in diam., red to reddish brown, inner surface covered with long red-brown hairs; lobes strongly recurved and folded tightly back under corolla, 16-25 x 15-19 mm. Corona ± 12 mm in diam., purple-brown to yellow; outer lobes ascending, oblong, 4-6 x 2 mm, longitudinally channelled; inner lobes ± 6 mm long, basally incumbent on anthers then connivent-erect with laterally flattened, erect dorsal wing.
Leafless succulent with erect, 4-angled stems 10-20 mm diam., forming dense clumps, 10-25 cm; sap clear. Flowers 50 mm diam., button-like with strongly recurved lobes, purple-brown, softly hairy on inner surface throughout.
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