Stapelia rubiginosa Nel

Succulent forming diffuse to dense clump up to 300 mm (-1 m) diam. Stems 60-300 mm long, 10-20 mm thick, decumbent, shortly pubescent, purple-green; tubercles widely spaced along stem, not prominent, joined into 4-6 obtuse angles along stem with shallow grooves between them; leaf-rudiments 1.0-1.5 mm long, erect, deltoid. Inflorescences pubescent, 1-4 per stem mainly in upper half, each of 1-5 flowers developing in gradual succession ± without peduncle; pedicel 3-6 mm long, 1.5 mm thick, spreading, holding flower facing outwards; sepals 2.5-3.0 mm long, 1.5-2.0 mm broad at base, deltoid, acute. Corolla 20-25 mm diam., reflexed-rotate; outside purplish green with 1-3 darker slightly outstanding veins; inside densely covered with raised transverse broken ridges on lobes becoming less rough and more reticulated on centre around corona, glabrous except for patch of sharp-tipped hairs up to 1 mm long along margins (each arising on papilla) and small papillae near tips of lobes, towards centre red-purple with tips of ridges cream to greenish, on lobes wholly red-purple to dark purple, occasionally whole flower yellowish suffused with red towards edges of lobes; tube ±1 mm long, 4 mm broad, pentagonal, steeply sided alongside gynostegium and entirely formed by thickening of corolla in centre into raised annulus-like patch; lobes 6 mm long, 5-6 mm broad at base, spreading and usually reflexed towards tips, ovate-deltate, acute. Corona 2.5-3.0 mm tall, 4-6 mm broad, raised on stout obtusely pentagonal maroon stipe ±0.5 mm long, purple-brown; outer lobes ±2.5 mm long, ascending then spreading with descending apices, ± deltoid, acute, channelled down middle leading to deeply cupular base beneath guide-rails, covered with short white hairs all over outside and on margins near base, usually wet with secretion on inside; inner lobes ±1 mm long, adpressed to backs of anthers and usually nearly equalling them, becoming broader towards truncate to emarginate or slightly bilobed apex, dorsiventrally flattened, covered on outside with short white hairs except near apex.