Ceropegia

syn. -

distribution:

Madagascar: Massif de Vavavato / Antananarivo Province

Ceropegia striata belongs to the tuberous species of its genus. It was discovered by M. Grubenmann and H. Rentsch, who only found resting tubers which they originally thought to be of a Cynanchum species. They brought these tubers to Zurich in Switzerland, where they began to grow and to flower and so turned out to be a Ceropegia species.

The species was found 22 km away from the city of Antsirabe in the Vavavato Massif, a landscape with granite hillocks in about 1800 m above sea level. The plants grow there in a substrate of humusrich sand.

So far this species is only known from this sole place, it seems to be very rare.

The subterranean tuber of this species reaches a diameter of 2 to 2,8 cm.

The twining stems are rarely branched. They have a diameter of 0,1 to 0,25 cm and are green in colour, but show a reddish tinge in full sunlight.

The leaves have a short petiole of 0,1 to 0,2 cm length. The leaves themselfes are narrowly elliptic to lancet-shaped and 1 to 3 cm long as well as 0,5 to 0,8 cm broad. They are somewhat succulent and almost not haired.

The inflorescenses appear axillary, they almost ever consist of only one flower. The flowers are about 5 cm long, light beige coloured with several inconspicuous stripes. The flower-tube changes its colour into a very light green upward. The united petals are light pea-green and have very conspicuous, maroon coloured hair.

Ceropegia striata was scientifically described in 1998, it is closely related to Ceropegia madagascariensis.

References:

- U. Meve; P. S. Masinde: Ceropegia striata, a new Asclepiadaceae in central Madagascar. Novon 8(1): 38-40. 1998