Stapelia similis N.E.Br.

Small succulent forming dense clump mostly <150 mm diam. but occasionally reaching 1 m diam., with many short slender stems. Stems 20-120(-150) mm long, 5-12 mm thick, erect, shortly pubescent, pale green usually with purple in grooves between angles; tubercles 1-2 mm long, close together along stem, obscure and mostly barely distinguishable, joined into 4 obtuse angles along stem with slight grooves between angles (stem ± square in cross-section); leaf-rudiments 1.0-1.5 mm long. Inflorescences pubescent, usually 1 per stem near base, each with 1-6 flowers opening in gradual succession on short stout peduncle up to 20 mm long with deltoid bracts <1 mm long; pedicel 30-80 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm thick, brownish, spreading with upturned apex holding flower facing upwards ± on ground; sepals 3-4 mm long, 1.0-1.5 mm broad at base, ovate-lanceolate, acute, green. Corolla 15-28 mm diam., rotate to shallowly campanulate; outside green usually with 1-3 prominent (not raised) veins on each lobe; inside densely and coarsely transversely rugulose, yellow-brown to dark brown or almost black, glabrous, often with sweat-like droplets of nectar below bases of lobes; tube 1.5-4.0 mm long, ±6 mm broad, cupular and steep-sided around gynostegium, with flat part of corolla often noticeably thickened into slight annulus around its mouth; lobes 6-10 mm long, 5-6 mm broad, spreading, ovate-deltate, acute to shortly acuminate, convex above from revolute eciliate margins. Corona ±3 mm tall, ±3-5 mm broad, raised on obtusely pentagonal stipe <1 mm long, red-brown to black becoming red or yellow towards base, glabrous; outer lobes ±1 mm long, 2 mm broad, spreading below middle of tube, ± rectangular, truncate to rounded, somewhat channelled on upper surface towards base, covered with fine sweat-like droplets of nectar; inner lobes 1.0-1.5 mm long, adpressed to backs of anthers and ± equalling them, dorsiventrally flattened, deltoid, acute, sometimes with slight dorsal swelling near base.