972 ASCLEPIADE& (Brown). [ Stapelia. 
when young; flowers 1-2 (and usually 2—5 buds which abort) 
together, near the base of the young stems, successively developed ; 
pedicels erect, 3-6 in. long, much overtopping the stems, glabrous ; 
sepals 24 lin. long, lanceolate-subulate, glabrous; corolla in bud 
ovoid, with 5 compressed angles ; when expanded 14-2} in. in diam., 
very deeply lobed, smooth on the back, faintly punctate-rugulose on 
the inner face, light olive-brown with a slight golden tinge, or olive- 
green or light greenish-yellow, the basal part of the lobes and the 
small cup pale greyish-white, dotted with reddish-brown, beautifully 
ciliate with vibratile clavate dark purple hairs for about } in. along 
the margin near the base of the lobes, otherwise glabrous ; tube 
searcely any, the united part very shortly and broadly funnel-shaped 
or flattish ; lobes horizontally spreading, with the margins rolled 
back so as to touch or overlap, forming a pointed cylinder, 7-1} in. 
long, 6-7 lin. broad when flattened out, lanceolate or elliptic- 
lanceolate, acute ; outer corona-lobes spreading, comparatively very 
small, 1-14 lin. long, linear, usually truncate or emarginate or 
minutely 3-toothed at the apex, more rarely acute, channelled down 
the face, purple-black ; inner corona-lobes 2-horned, purple-black, 
shining ; horns very similar, each terminating in a large knob 
covered with sharp angular projections, the inner erect or sub- 
connivent at the base, then recurved-spreading, about 2 lin. long, 
the outer rather shorter than and recurved-spreading under the 
inner horns ; odour very nauseous, resembling stale dried salt-fish, 
but only present when the corolla is fully expanded. Willd. Sp. Pl. 
i. 1284 ; Bot. Mag. t. 793; Pers. Syn. Pl. i. 279 ; Poir. Encyel. vii. 
382; R. Br. in Mem. Wern. Soc.i. 24; Ait. Hort. Kew. ed. 2, ii. 90 ; 
Allg. Teusch. Gart. Mag. 1811, 309, t. 30 (ex Schultes) ; Haw. Syn. 
Pl. Suce. 23 ; Jacq. Stap. tt. 60, 61, 62 and 63; Schultes, Syst. Veg. 
vi. 46; Link, Enum. Pl. Hort. Berol. i. 255; Spreng. Syst. Veg. i. 
841; Kerner, Hort. tt. 501 and 730; Geel, Sert. Bot. ii.; Reichenb. 
Fl. Exot. v. 10, t. 302 ; Dietr. Syn. Pl. ii. 887 ; Decne in DC. Prodr. 
viii, 658 ; Loud. Encyel. Pl. 202, fig. 3339 ; N. E. Br. in Hook. Ic. 
Pl. under t. 1909 ; Schlechter in Journ. Bot. 1898, 482. S. penduli- 
Jlora, Steud. Nom. Bot. ed. 2, ii.631. SS. levis, Decne in DC. Prodr. 
vill, 658. Caruncularia pedunculata, Haw. Syn. Pl. Suce. 333 ; 
G. Don, Gen. Syst. iv. 122. CO. Simsii, Sweet, Hort. Brit. ed. 2, 358. 
C. Massoni, C. Jacquini and C. penduliflora, Sweet, l.c. 359. 
Western Recion: Little Namaqualand ; Spectakal, in the vicinity of the 
Kamiesberg Range, Barkly, 1! and cultivated specimens! Ookiep, Morris (Barkly, 
75)! and cultivated specimens ! also without precise locality, Scully ! 
The flowers of the remarkable species probably vary considerably, I have had 
several plants in cultivation, but no two had flowers quite alike. No specimen 
that I have seen had pendulous bright purple flowers like that figured in the 
Botanical Magazine at t. 793, and I am inclined to doubt the correctness of the 
colouring. The flowers remain open for about 3 days. From observations I 
made upon the growth of the very long pedicels I find that the lengthening 
_is least at the early and later stages of development, when it varies from aie 
__ lines in 12 hours, and greatest at the middle stage when it varies from 3-7 lines 
in 12 hours, it varies also from day to day with the temperature. 
