Stapelia surrecta N.E.Br.

Small succulent forming diffuse clump 150-300 mm diam., with few relatively stout stems. Stems 50-200 mm long, 8-15 mm thick, decumbent, shortly pubescent, green suffused with purple; tubercles 3-5 mm long, widely spaced along stem and obtusely conical, usually joined into 4 obtuse angles (sometimes with groove between them) and then stem ± square in cross-section; leaf-rudiments 1.5-2.5 mm long. Inflorescences pubescent, 1-6 per stem mainly near apex, each with 2-8 flowers opening in gradual succession on peduncle gradually lengthening to 10 mm; pedicel (12-)20-35 mm long, 1.5-2.0 mm thick, usually ascending and holding flower facing upwards; sepals 3-5 mm long, ±1.5 mm broad at base, lanceolate-ovate, acute. Corolla 6-15 mm long, 22-40 mm diam., almost rotate to shallowly campanulate; outside pinkish brown with 1-3 prominent (not raised) longitudinal veins on each lobe; inside smooth to finely transversely rugulose, usually pinkish to purplish brown becoming yellowish towards centre, sometimes yellow suffused with brown towards tips, glabrous; tube 2-4 mm deep, becoming narrow and distinctly pentagonal lower down around base of gynostegium; lobes 9-14 mm long, 6 mm broad at base, ascending to spreading, ovate-acuminate, very slightly convex above with margins slightly reflexed. Corona ±5 mm tall, ±5 mm broad, raised on obtusely pentagonal stipe ±1 mm long, red becoming yellow towards base or yellow; outer lobes ±1.5 mm long, ascending with spreading tips, ± bifid at apex into deltoid obtuse lobules, concave above; inner lobes 3-4 mm long, adpressed to backs of anthers then erect at tips of anthers, connivent then spreading, dorsiventrally flattened in lower half becoming terete above, obtuse, with ascending laterally flattened and narrowly to broadly deltoid dorsal wing 2-4 mm long near base.