Ceropegia

syn. -

distribution:

Ethiopia: Kebri Dehar District / Somali National Regional State

Ceropegia kaariyei was just described in the year 2009 and is thought to be related to the Kenyan species Ceropegia laikipiensis.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The plant as such resembles species like Ceropegia ampliata at first glance, it grows twining and has only very small leaflets. Though in contrast to Ceropegia ampliata this species has an subterranean storage tuber.

The succulent stems are about 0,2 to 0,4 cm in diameter and reach lengths of up to 2 m. They are glabrous, greyish green in colour and somewhat glaucous.

The leaves are about 0,5 cm long, 0,15 cm wide and lancet-shaped.

The flowers appear in few-flowered cymes and are about 3 cm long. Their base is light green in colour and slightly swollen, the corolla tube is greenish white in colour, mottlet with russet brown and curved 90° about near the middle. The chestnut brown coloured petals again are curved backwards, but are united at the tip. At the lower part of the inside of the petals is some stiff white hair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The range of distribution of this species (known so far at present) extends over an area of just 500 m², and only five plants were found.

The inhabitants of this region call the plant Maroro (in Somali) and eat both the tubers as well as the stems. Because of this fact and due to the obviously very small area of distribution Ceropegia kaariyei is propaply one of the rarest and most threatened species within its genus.

References:

- Mats Thulin: New species of Caralluma and Ceropegia (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae-Ceropegieae) from eastern Ethiopia. Kew Bulletin. 64(3): 477-483. 2009