Ceropegia verticillata Masinde

Apocynaceae (part 2), David Goyder, Timothy Harris, Siro Masinde, Ulrich Meve, Johan Venter. Flora of Tropical East Africa, 2012

Morphology General Habit

Herbaceous twiner to 2 m high, pubescent.

Morphology Roots

Root system a cluster of fusiform roots.

Morphology Stem

Stems twining or rambling, sparsely branched, wiry, cylindrical, often rooting at nodes on contact with ground, green to purplish with curved whitish-translucent hairs

Morphology Leaves

Leaves whorled, mostly in 3s; petiole 0.9–2 cm long, channel rims ciliate; blade narrowly ovate, 1.2–4 × 0.6–1.3 cm, base rounded or shallowly cordate, apex narrowly acuminate, both surfaces puberulous, sometimes strongly discolorous, margins entire and finely ciliate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence umbellately cymose, 1–2-flowered, flowers developing successively; green to purplish.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles

Peduncles 2–6 mm long, ± 1 mm diameter, sparsely puberulous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel

Pedicels 3–10 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals subulate, 2–2.5 × 0.6 mm, abaxially purplish and pilose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 11–18 mm long; tube with a globose basal inflation ± 3 × 3 mm, curved and narrowed above inflation to ± 1.5 mm diameter, ascending cylindrical part expanded in throat to ± 4 mm diameter; exterior with very pale green to cream background, but paler on inflation, then above inflation with diffuse, purplish-maroon flecks which disappear in throat, glabrous; interior glabrous including basal inflation; lobes plicate, ± linear with deltoid bases, 3–4 × 1 mm in folded state, apically connate to form a lantern-like cage ± 4 × 4 mm, apical half greenish- or maroonish-black, adaxially including keels and margins densely covered with fine blackish needle-like hairs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona

Corona subsessile to shortly stipitate, basally cupular, ± 2.3 × 3 mm; inner lobes erect, free or apically connivent, dorsiventrally compressed, spatulate, ± 2.8 × 0.4 mm, glabrous; outer lobes sub-erect, forming 5 out-spreading open pockets, each ± 1.4 × 1.2 mm, each lobe bifid in apical half, teeth acute, divergent, adaxially sparsely, finely ciliate along parts of margins.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynostegium

Gynostegium with subquadrate anthers overtopping the stylar head; guide rails ± 0.2 mm long, well exposed; corpusculum linear-obovate, 0.12 × 0.04 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinia

Pollinia ovoid-elliptic, 0.2 × 0.12 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Follicles paired, acutely divergent, cylindrical, 8.5–10 cm long, 3 mm diameter at centre, apically tapering, straw coloured with fine dark dots when dry

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed dorsiventrally compressed, elliptic, ± 12 × 2 mm, black including marginal wing; coma of silky white hairs ± 2.4 cm long.

Ecology

Evergreen forest; 1600–1750 m

Note

C. verticillata is easily identifiable even from vegetative material alone, on the basis of the whorled leaves which are unusual for the genus. Most nodes have three leaves (ternate) and others have four. The leaves are considerably narrowed towards the apex resulting in an extended narrowly acuminate apex. The cluster of spindle-shaped roots is similar to that of C. meyeri-johannis to which it is closely related. A specimen from Chyulu Hills ( K 4/6), end of forest, 13 Dec. 1991, Luke 2982 (EA, K) has somewhat intermediate characteristics between C. verticillata and C. meyeri-johannis.

Distribution

Flora districts: K7 Range: Only known from Mbololo area