Stapelia villetiae C.A.Lückh.

Succulent forming diffuse to dense clump up to 300 mm diam. Stems 60-150 mm long, 10-20 mm thick, decumbent, shortly pubescent, green to purple-green; tubercles widely spaced along stem, fairly prominent, joined into 4 obtuse angles along stem with area concave between them; leaf-rudiments 1-2 mm long, erect to slightly spreading. Inflorescences pubescent, 1 per stem near base, with 1(-3) flowers with at most short peduncle; pedicel 50-65 mm long, 3-4 mm thick, erect and holding flower facing upwards; sepals 6-8 mm long, 1.5-2.0 mm broad at base, lanceolate, acute. Corolla 45-65 mm diam., rotate; outside pale green to brown with 3-5 darker veins; inside irregularly transversely rugulose on lobes changing to concentric raised ridges towards centre, dark purple-black in upper half of lobes, rest pale yellow with purple-black between ridges, ± glabrous except for purplish hairs up to 3 mm long along margins of lobes; tube ±3 mm long, 8-10 mm broad, pentagonal, containing most of gynostegium, walls slightly thickened towards mouth; lobes 15-20 mm long, 13-15 mm broad at base, spreading to reflexed, ovate to broadly ovate, shortly acuminate, often convex from margins folded back. Corona ±5-6 mm tall, ±7-8 mm broad, raised on very short pentagonal stipe, black to reddish purple; outer lobes 2.0-3.5 mm long, 2 mm broad, ascending then spreading, rectangular to oblong, acute to apiculate or crenulate, channelled down middle; inner lobes 2.5-3.0(-5.0) mm long, adpressed to backs of anthers and exceeding them to rise in short column in centre, dorsiventrally flattened towards base becoming ± terete towards apex, with spreading triangular to obtuse dorsal wing 0.5-2.0 mm long.