Stapeliopsis saxatilis (N.E.Br.) Bruyns

Dwarf non-rhizomatous succulent forming mat up to 300 mm diam. Stems 25-300 mm long, 8-25 mm thick, prostrate, glabrous, initially pale grey-green later often yellowish or reddish green sometimes speckled with purple-red; tubercles 2-5(-8) mm long, broadly conical, slightly laterally flattened and joined near base into 4 acute angles along stem between which stem concave, tapering to sharp yellow-tipped conical spreading tooth. Inflorescences glabrous, 1(-3) per stem, with 1-10 flowers developing above surface of soil on knobbly peduncle up to 5 mm long; pedicel 3-12 mm long, 1 mm thick, ascending and holding flower facing upwards; sepals 2-3 mm long, 1 mm broad at base, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, often with recurved tips. Corolla 8-21 mm long, 6-11 mm diam., ellipsoidal to obovoid or obconical if lobes free; outside glabrous, ± shiny, dark maroon to dark red; inside velvety maroon, red to yellowish pink or pale pink, with many erect straight white bristles from near tips of lobes to near base of tube, towards the base some arising from low conical papillae; tube 6-15 mm long, 4-6 mm broad, cupular or widening towards mouth from narrow base, walls less than 0.5 mm thick; lobes 4-9 mm long, 4-7 mm broad at base, ascending-connivent and fused at tips to ascending-spreading and free at tips, ovate-deltate to narrowly deltate, acute. Corona 3-4 mm tall, 2-3 mm broad, raised on very short stout obtusely pentagonal stipe, shiny dark maroon to pale yellow; outer lobes <0.5 mm long, ascending-spreading, truncate to emarginate, forming shallow pouch between bases of inner lobes and fused laterally to them for entire length; inner lobes 2.0-3.5 mm long, erect then connivent at apices, laterally flattened in lower half becoming ± terete and sometimes tuberculate above, usually with prominent to obscure obtuse ± deltoid dorsal projection near middle.