CEROPEGIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



CEROPEGIA 



climbing herbs, often having thick or 

 tuberous roots, deltoid-angled leaves, 

 and dioecious, bell-shaped flowers. 

 Stamens three, in the male flowers, 



O. palmata.— This seems to be the 

 only species of any note. It is a 

 native of S. Africa, and has a very 

 large tuberous root-stock; climbing 

 stems with ivy-like leaves ; the female 

 plants bearing small scarlet fruits 

 marbled with white. 



The species is no doubt easily raised 

 from seeds, and may be grown in a 

 greenhouse or in the open air during 

 the summer months, in sunny, shel- 

 tered spots. 



CEROPEGIA {keros, wax; pege, a 

 fountain ; in allusion to the form and 

 waxy appearance of the peculiar 

 flowers). Nat. Ord. Asclepiadeae.— 

 A large genus of tuberous plants, 

 mostly with twining stems, opposite 

 leaves, and flowers with a funnel- 

 shaped corolla more or less dilated at 

 the base and often conspicuously 

 streaked or blotched, and with the 

 segments often cohering at the apex. 

 The corona is fixed to the staminal 

 tube, and is composed of five to ten 

 lobes. 



The Ceropegias or Wax Fountain 

 Flowers are found largely in the East 

 Indies and Tropical Asia generally, 

 and also in South Africa, and are 

 also indigenous to Tropical Africa 

 and Madagascar. WhUe capable of 

 affording amusement and interest to 

 botanists for quite a long time, but 

 very few species attract even passing 

 attention from the gardener. The 

 plants although highly interesting are 

 by no means conspicuous for form or 

 colour, and are looked upon purely as 

 floral curiosities fit only for botanical 

 collections. Some of the species (e.g., 

 C. nana, C. pttsilla, C. spiralis, C. 

 attenuata, G.esctdenta,iiad G.pygmasa) 

 are dwarf erect-growing plants vary- 



ing from 3 to 6 ins. high, having 

 narrow linear leaves and small flowers, 

 but comparatively large tubers. 

 Other species like C. Thwaited, 0. 

 Sandersoni, C. hirsuta (or C. vincce- 

 folia, C. Decaisneana), have slender 

 twining stems, and large ovate or 

 lance-shaped leaves. Perhaps the 

 species best known are C. BarUyi 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 6315), C. Bowkeri (Bot. 

 Mag. t. 5407), C. elegams {Bot. Mag. 

 t. 3015); C. Gardneri {Bot. Mag. t. 

 5306), C. MonteirocB {Bot. Mag. t. 

 6927), and C. Thwaited {Bot. Mag. 

 t. 4758). To these must be added C. 

 Woodi, an interesting species from 



137 



FlQ. 93.— CeTopegia Woodi. (}.) 



Natal, having slender drooping stems 

 opposite broadly heart-shaped leaves 

 marbled with pale green and silver, 

 and small flowers. The stems fre- 

 quently bear roundish tubers with a 

 spiny surface, as shown in sketch 

 (Fig. 93). This species is frequently 

 grown in hanging pots or baskets for 

 its curious appearance {Gard. Ghron. 



