Plate 72. 



STAPELIA Pillansii, var. attenuata. 



Cape Province. 



Asclepiadaceae. Tribe Stapelieae. 

 Stapelia, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 784. 



Stapelia Pillansii, N. E. Br., var. attenuata, N. E. Br. in Fl. Cap. vol. iv. 



sect. i. p. 958. 



This interesting Stapelia was first discovered by Mr. N. S. 

 Pillans, of Cape Town, at Witte Poort in the Laingsburg 

 Division, and described by Mr. N. E. Brown, to whom Mr. 

 Pillans sent most of his collections of this group. Our plant 

 is one of the larger-flowered species of the genus, resembling 

 in this respect S. gigantea and S. nobilis, but differing in colour 

 from both these species. The flowers have a distinct carrion- 

 like odour, although this is not so strong as in many other 

 species of the genus. When in bud the petals form an 

 acuminate beak recurved at the apex. Under cultivation in 

 the greenhouse the stems turn a dark reddish-brown colour. 



Our specimen was collected by Dr. I. B. Pole Evans at 

 Laingsburg, and flowered at the Division of Botany, Pretoria, 

 in October, 1921. (National Herbarium, Pretoria, Herb. 

 No. 1492.) 



Desceiption : — Stems 9-15 cm. high, l - 4-2'2 cm. in diameter, 

 4-angled and with concave sides, pubescent, usually green. 

 Teeth with erect whitish rudimentary leaves about 2 mm. 

 long. Flowers 2 (4 or 5 according to Brown) from near the 

 base of the stems. Pedicels 3-4 cm. long, terete, pubescent. 

 Sepals 1*7 cm. long, 2 mm. broad at the base, linear-lanceolate, 

 acuminate, acute, pubescent. Corolla when expanded 22'5 cm. 

 in diameter, diamine-brown above, smooth and without mark- 

 ings, glabrous ; lobes 105 cm. long, 2'2 cm. broad at the 

 base, ovate, tapering to a long point, strongly revolute, ciliate 

 with short hairs and with longer vibratile hairs. Corona dark 

 coloured ; outer corona lobes 4 mm. long, 2 mm. broad, oblong, 



