Cladus: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Divisio: Magnoliophyta
Classis: Magnoliopsida
Ordo: Gentianales
Familia: Apocynaceae
Subfamilia: Asclepiadoideae
Tribus: Ceropegieae
Subtribus: Stapeliinae
Genus: Ceropegia
Species: C. ballyana - C. fusca - C. monteiroae - C. robynsiana - C. serpentina - C. thorncroftii - C. woodii
Name
Ceropegia L.
Ceropegia is a genus of plants within the family Apocynaceae. It was named by Carl Linnaeus, who first described this genus in volume 1 of his Species plantarum, which appeared in 1753. Linnaeus thought that the flowers looked like a fountain of wax. From this the scientific name was derived: ‘keros’ meaning wax and ‘pege’ meaning fountain (Pooley, 1998). They have many common names including lantern flower, parasol flower, parachute flower, bushman’s pipe, string of hearts, snake creeper, wine-glass vine, rosary vine, and necklace vine.
Ceropegia species have attracted much attention from botanists, horticulturalists, gardeners and succulent plant enthusiasts. A number of species are commercially available and grown as ornamental houseplants. They can be propagated by seed and cuttings.
Appearance
The stems are vining or trailing in most species, though a few species from the Canary Islands have erect growth habits. Among some species, such as Ceropegia woodii, the nodes swell, and the roots similarly expand to form tubers beneath the soil surface. The leaves are simple and opposite, although they can be rudimentary or absent. Especially in certain succulent species, the leaves may also be thick and fleshy.
The flowers have a tubular corolla with five petals most often fused at the tips, forming an umbrella-like canopy, a cage, or appendage-like antennae (Dyer, 1983). An interesting feature of Ceropegias is that their flower tubes are lined with small hairs that point downward to form a temporary trap for small flies. When flies are attracted into the flower by the odour they are prevented from escaping until the hairs wither, the pollinia of the Ceropegia flower being attached to the flies’ bodies when they escape.
Classification
The genus Ceropegia belongs to the Asclepiadoideae (Milkweed) sub-family within the family Apocynaceae. Species of this genus bear similarities to the carrion flowers or Stapelias. There are between 160 and 200 species worldwide and they are found widely from the Canary Islands, Africa, Madagascar, Arabia, India, Sri Lanka, southern China, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea and Queensland.
A generic complex with many interesting taxonomic problems at both generic and specific level are formed by three genera: Ceropegia, Brachystelma and Riocreuxia.
Selected species
* Ceropegia africana (South Africa)
* Ceropegia ampliata (South Africa)
* Ceropegia antennifera (South Africa)
* Ceropegia arabica (Arabia)
* Ceropegia arenaria
* Ceropegia aridicola
* Ceropegia aristolochoides (Senegal to Ethiopia)
* Ceropegia armandii (Madagascar)
* Ceropegia ballyana (Kenya)
* Ceropegia barbarta (South Africa)
* Ceropegia barkleyi (South Africa)
* Ceropegia bonafouxii (Namibia)
* Ceropegia bosseri (Madagascar)
* Ceropegia cancellata (South Africa)
* Ceropegia carnosa (South Africa)
* Ceropegia ceratophora (Canary Islands)
* Ceropegia chrysantha (Canary Islands)
* Ceropegia cimiciodora (South Africa)
* Ceropegia crassifolia (southern Africa)
* Ceropegia debilis
* Ceropegia decidua (eastern Africa)
* Ceropegia denticulata (tropical Africa)
* Ceropegia devecchii (eastern Africa)
* Ceropegia dichotoma (Canary Islands)
* Ceropegia dimorpha (Madagascar)
* Ceropegia distincta (Zanzibar)
* Ceropegia elegans
* Ceropegia filiformis (South Africa)
* Ceropegia fimbriata (South Africa)
* Ceropegia fusca (Canary Islands)
* Ceropegia galeata (Kenya)
* Ceropegia gemmifera - Togo tangle
* Ceropegia haygarthii (South Africa)
* Ceropegia hians (Canary Islands)
* Ceropegia juncea
* Ceropegia krainzii (Canary Islands)
* Ceropegia leroyi (Madagascar)
* Ceropegia linearis (South Africa)
* Ceropegia lugardae (eastern Africa)
* Ceropegia multiflora (southern Africa)
* Ceropegia nilotica (eastern Africa)
* Ceropegia pachystelma (southern Africa)
* Ceropegia racemosa (tropical Africa)
* Ceropegia radicans (South Africa)
* Ceropegia rendallii (South Africa)
* Ceropegia robynsiana (Congo)
* Ceropegia rupicola (Arabia)
* Ceropegia sandersonii (southern Africa)
* Ceropegia senegalensis (Senegal)
* Ceropegia seticorona (eastern Africa)
* Ceropegia somaliensis (eastern Africa)
* Ceropegia stapeliiformis (South Africa)
* Ceropegia stentii (South Africa)
* Ceropegia succulenta
* Ceropegia superba (Arabia)
* Ceropegia turricula (South Africa)
* Ceropegia variegata (Arabia)
* Ceropegia verrucosa
* Ceropegia viridis (Madagascar)
* Ceropegia woodii - string of hearts
* Ceropegia zeyheri (South Africa)
References
Dyer, R.A. 1983. Ceropegia, Brachystelma and Riocreuxia in Southern Africa. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam.
Pooley, E. 1998. A field guide to Wild Flowers KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region. Natal Flora Publications Trust, Durban.
