C 536 3 



Stapelia Asterias. Star-Fish 

 Stapelia. 



Clqfs and Order. 

 Pentandria Digynia. 



Generic Character. 

 Contorta. Neciarium duplici ftellula tegente genitalia. 



Specific Character and Synonyms. 



STAPELIA AJierias ; ramis pluribus ereclis tetragonis den- 

 tatis, dentibus brevibus erectis, corolla magna 

 quinquefida; laciniis lanceolatis margine revo- 

 lutis ciliatis. Mqffon. Stap. n. 14. /. 14. 



STAPELIA AJierias ; corollis quinquefidis : laciniis ovato- 

 acuminatis, margine revolutis, villofis, pedun- 

 culis longitudine corollae, ramis ereBis tetra- 

 gonis attenuatis bafi fioriferis. Spec. Plant, edit. 

 IVilldenow, 1. p. 1280. 



The flower of this very diftincl: fpecies of Stapelia has a 

 highly offenfive fmell, appearing to us, although we are not 

 certain that the eye might not impofe on the imagination, to 

 approach to the {link of a putrid ftar-fifh, as well as to re- 

 ferable it in form. The fpecific character given by Willde- 

 mow is not lb accurate as that of Masson. In many 

 refpefts it agrees with hirfuta, but differs in the fhape of the 

 corolla, in the want of hairs in the centre of the flower, and 

 in the colours, which, though nearly the fame, are reverfed, 

 the ground of the petal in the hirfuta being a pale yellow, and 

 the tranfverfe veins a dull purple. 



We arc obliged to Mr. Loddiges, of Hackney, for the 

 fpecimen from which our drawing was made, who imported it 

 .from the Cape of Good Hope, as he did likewife the one we 

 before publilhed, from Mr. Woodford's collection, under 

 .the name of Stapelia lentiginofa, and which we by miftake 

 , derived from the Royal Garden at Kew. All the Stapeliae are 

 proper inhabitants of the dry ftove, but fucceed very well in 

 the bark (love 'when placed on a fhelf very near the window. 



