Piaranthus. | ASCLEPIADE (Brown). 1019 
lobes about 1 lin. long, linear-lanceolate or narrowly-oblong, acute 
or slightly toothed at the apex, closely incumbent upon the backs 
of the anthers and shortly exceeding them but not connivent-erect, 
dorsally produced at the base into a spreading crest entire or 
minutely subdenticulate at the dorsal margin, flat or nearly so and 
not tuberculate on the top, the entire corona appearing (viewed 
from above) like a star with 5 short rounded lobes connected at the 
base, yellow. N. E. Br. in Gard. Chron. 1879, xii. 9; K. Schum. 
in Engl. und Prantl, Pflanzenfam. iv. ii. 277. Stapelia geminata, 
Masson, Stap. 18, t. 25; Willd. Sp. Pl. i. 1290, and Enum. Pl. Hort. 
Berol. 282; Pers. Syn. Pl. i. 280; Poir. Encyel. vii. 386 ; R. Br. in 
Mem. Wern. Soc. i. 25; Jacq. Stap. t. 16; Bot. Mag. t. 1326 ; Lodd. 
Bot. Cab. t. 300; Ait. Hort. Kew. ed. 2, ii. 92 ; Schultes, Syst. Veg. 
vi. 42; Link, Enum. Pl. Hort. Berol. i. 257; Spreng. Syst. Veg. 
i. 840; Dietr. Syn. Pl. ii. 886; Decne in DOC. Prodr. viii. 661. 
Obesia geminata, Haw. Syn. Pl. Succ, 42 ; Sweet, Hort. Brit. ed. 1, 
278; G. Don, Gen. Syst. iv. 121. Podanthes geminata, Nicholson, 
Dict. Gard. iti. 172. Caralluma geminata, Schlechter in Journ. Bot. 
1898, 478. 
Sourn Arrica: withont locality, Masson, cultivated specimens in Herb. Kew. ! 
and Herb, Haworth ! . 
Described from a specimen cultivated in 1813, probably introduced by Masson. 
4. P. Pillansii (N. E. Br.); tufted ; stems 1-1} in. long, 5-8 lin. 
thick, decumbent, oblong or somewhat clavate-oblong, very obtusely 
4- (rarely 5-) angled or subcylindric, glabrous, dull light green, 
mottled or tinted with dull purple, angles not or scarcely tubercu- 
late, with very minute apiculus-like teeth, having a more minute 
tooth on each side at the base; flowers usually in pairs at the 
middle or upper part of the young stems, erect; pedicels 4-3 in. 
long, glabrous ; sepals } in. long, lanceolate, acute, glabrous ; corolla 
rotate, lobed nearly to the base, 1}—1} in. in diam.; lobes very 
spreading, 1-2 in. long, about 2-2} lin. broad at the base, narrowly 
lanceolate, acute, convex from the margins being recurved, glabrous 
on the back, very shortly velvety-puberulous on the inner face, not 
ciliate, dull greenish-yellow or pale yellow without spots ; corona- 
lobes rather more than 1 lin. long, closely incumbent upon the 
backs of the anthers and exceeding them, with their tips crossing 
each other but not becoming erect, lanceolate, acute, entire or some- 
what 3-toothed at the apex, produced at the base into a truncate or 
very obtuse dorsal crest, minutely tuberculate or with ridges on the 
top, and the dorsal margin neither acute-edged nor toothed, yellow, 
without markings. 
Var. 8, inconstans (N. E. Br.); corolla 14-14 in. in diam. ; lobes 7-9 lin. 
long, 2 lin. broad at the base, narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate-attenuate, densely 
_ dotted or transversely marked with light purple on an ochreous ground, sometimes 
a 80 minutely as to look light pinkish-brown ; tips of the corona-lobes not crossing an 
the dorsal margin of the crest sometimes 2d ; otherwise as in the type. 
