Succulent forming clump 150 mm-1 m diam. Stems 50-120(-200) mm long, 10-20 mm thick, decumbent with very shortly horizontal base, shortly pubescent, green suffused with red (not mottled); tubercles 2-3 mm long, widely spaced along stem and very obscure, obtusely conical, joined into 4 broadly obtuse angles along stem and stem ± roundedly square in cross-section; leaf-rudiments 1.5-3.0 mm long. Inflorescences pubescent, 1-2 per stem near base, each with 1-3 flowers opening in gradual succession on short stout peduncle <5 mm long with few deltoid bracts 1-2 mm long; pedicel 20-50 mm long, 4-5 mm thick, purplish, spreading and holding flower facing horizontally; sepals 8-10 mm long, 3 mm broad at base, narrowly lanceolate, acute, purplish to green. Corolla 150-210 mm diam., ± rotate; outside dark red-purple with 5 or more darker longitudinal veins on each lobe; inside smooth or finely transversely rugulose, dark red to maroon suddenly becoming yellow towards base of tube, glabrous; tube ±10 mm long, 20 mm broad, containing ± whole gynostegium, pentagonal, widening gradually towards mouth which is ± at base of lobes, corolla thickened (to 2.5 mm) especially towards middle of tube; lobes 70-95 mm long, 15-20 mm broad at base, spreading sometimes with reflexed tips, ovate-acuminate and often attenuating into slender twisted tails, flat towards base becoming convex after about 20 mm above from revolute margins, margins in lower half with vibratile slender purple cilia 2-3 mm long. Corona ±9 mm tall, ±9-12 mm broad, raised on obtusely pentagonal stipe 1-2 mm long, shiny blackish purple becoming bright yellow towards base and on stipe; outer lobes 4-5 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm broad, ascending and then spreading, ± rectangular to oblong, obtuse to ± deltoid at apex or dentate, slightly to deeply channelled down centre; inner lobes 6-8 mm long, adpressed to backs of anthers then connivent-erect and widely spreading-recurved above, dorsiventrally flattened towards base, in upper half becoming flat to slightly channelled inside and dorsally keeled, with broad obtuse laterally flattened ascending-spreading dorsal wing variably fused to but shorter than lobe, sometimes with further lobule at base.
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Like S. hirsuta but corolla wider, 150-210 mm diam., uniformly dark purple or yellow, lobes 70-95 mm long, ciliate, attenuated into long, slender, often twisted tails.
Like S. hirsuta but flowers 120-200 mm diam., uniformly dark purple or yellow, lobes ciliate, attenuated into long, slender, often twisted tails.
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