Ceropegia arabica   (H. Huber)

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syn.-

distribution: Saudi Arabia Yemen

Ceropegia arabica is similar to Ceropegia ampliata in its appearance, it is also a twining species and it shares the same tiny leaves. The flowers can reach a size of up to 6 cm. The lower part is swollen like a balloon, white and striped green resp. olive-brown. The flower-tube is very thin and coloured whitish light green, sometimes decorated with green resp. olive-brown spots. The petals are very intensive spotted with green in the lower part, they are close-knit, yellowish green and screwed in the upper part and are more or less elongated, depending on the origin of the plant.

left: Ceropegia arabica Photo: by courtesy of Martyn Tidball http://website.lineone.net/~martynjt/Index.html

left: Ceropegia arabica Photo: by courtesy of Cok and Ine Grootscholten Copyright Grootscholten Succulenta nursery, Honselersdijk, The Netherlands http://www.succulenta-kwekerij.nl

var. abbreviata (Bruyns)

syn. -

distribution: Saudi Arabia Yemen

This subspecies is similar to the 'normal' species in its appearance, but the flowers are quite different. Most of all they lack the elongated petals.

left: Ceropegia arabica var. abbreviata Photo: by courtesy of Dennis De Kock http://www.stapeliads.info

var. powysii ((D. V. Field) Meve & Mangelsdorff)

syn. Ceropegia barbigera (P. Bruyns), Ceropegia powissi [wrong], Ceropegia powysii (D. V. Field)

distribution: Ethiopia Kenya: Kajiado District, Laikipia District / Rift Valley Province Yemen

The flowers of this form are very beautiful formed and coloured. They are mostly white on the outside and flecked with ruby-coloured spots all over, which turn into brown upwards. The petals are very broad and a bit turned outward, their edges are strongl haired.

left: Ceropegia arabica var. powysii Photo: by courtesy of Dennis De Kock http://www.stapeliads.info

other clones: Ceropegia arabica var. powysii clone 1

var. superba ((D. V. Field & Collen.) Bruyns)

syn. Ceropegia superba (D. V. Field & Collen.)

distribution: Saudi Arabia: Jabal Fayfa / Jizan Province Yemen: Al Mahwit Province

Ceropegia arabica var. superba was first described in 1984. This species is a twining plant with only tiny leaves, which soon are dropped. The flowers can reach a length of up to 8 cm and look a bit like those of Ceropegia radicans.

left: Ceropegia arabica var. superba Photo: by courtesy of Cok and Ine Grootscholten Copyright Grootscholten Succulenta nursery, Honselersdijk, The Netherlands http://www.succulenta-kwekerij.nl

left: Ceropegia arabica var. superba Photo: by courtesy of Dennis De Kock http://www.stapeliads.info

References: - D. V. Field: Two New African Species of Ceropegia (Asclepiadaceae) and a Reconsideration of C. subaphylla. Kew Bull. 37(2): 305-313 1982 - D. V. Field; I. S. Collenette: Ceropegia superba (Asclepiadaceae), a New Species from Arabia. Kew Bulletin 39(3) 639-642 (1984) - P. Bruyns: Two new species of Ceropegia (Asclepiadaceae ― Stapelieae). Kew Bulletin 44(4): 721-726. 1989 - P. G. Archer: Kenya Ceropegia Scrapbook. Notes and records of some Kenya Ceropegia. Hobart (AUS): Artemis Pup. Consultans. 1992 - Joshua M. Muasya; Truman P. Young; David N. Okebiro: Vegetation Map and Plant Checklist of Ol Ari Nyiro Ranch and the Mukutan Gorge, Laikipia, Kenya. Journal of East African Natural History 83: 143-197 (1994) - Ulrich Meve; Ralph M. Mangelsdorff: A new Ceropegia species from Yemen, and reconsideration of the status of C. arabica, C. barbigera and C. powysii (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae-Ceropegieae); Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 137, Number 1, September 2001 - Focke Albers; Ulrich Meve: Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Asclepiadaceae; Springer (November 4, 2002)