Geographic variation in genetic composition, sexual communication and mating compatibility of the False Codling Moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta for optimisation of area-wide control

Intraspecific variation in sex pheromones is a driver of reproductive isolation and speciation in insects. The False Codling Moth (FCM) Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is a quarantine pest endemic to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The currently available precision control measures for FCM use female sex pheromone components to lure males into traps. However, the existing data on the composition of the female sex pheromone, especially the isomer ratios of the main pheromone component (E/Z)-8-dodecenyl acetate, are inconsistent for populations in SSA. This inconsistency led to speculation about possible reproductive isolation between geographically separated FCM populations and the potential need for local adjustment of pheromone-based FCM control tools. This, however, requires a comparative evaluation of geographic variation in FCM sexual communication and inter-population mating compatibility. We therefore investigated genetic isolation and mating compatibility between five geographically isolated FCM populations in South Africa and analysed the ratio of (E)- and (Z)-8-dodecenyl acetate in females from these populations. The five studied populations were found to form three genetically distinct groups with high genetic distances between each other. Mating compatibility tests showed that mating is possible across these groups, however, males preferred females of their own population when given choices; without a choice, males successfully mated with and transferred spermatophores to females from all other populations. The ratio of (E)- and (Z)-8-dodecenyl acetate was similar (c. 4:1) across the populations, indicating that this main female pheromone component does not cause the observed intra-population mating preferences. It remains to be investigated if qualitative/quantitative variation in other sex pheromone components influences intra-population recognition in South African FCM, providing a base for the development of regionally-specific lures for area-wide control programmes

The diversity and evolution of pollination systems in large plant clades: Apocynaceae as a case study

Background and Aims Large clades of angiosperms are often characterized by diverse interactions with pollinators, but how these pollination systems are structured phylogenetically and biogeographically is still uncertain for most families. Apocynaceae is a clade of >5300 species with a worldwide distribution. A database representing >10 % of species in the family was used to explore the diversity of pollinators and evolutionary shifts in pollination systems across major clades and regions. Methods The database was compiled from published and unpublished reports. Plants were categorized into broad pollination systems and then subdivided to include bimodal systems. These were mapped against the five major divisions of the family, and against the smaller clades. Finally, pollination systems were mapped onto a phylogenetic reconstruction that included those species for which sequence data are available, and transition rates between pollination systems were calculated. Key Results Most Apocynaceae are insect pollinated with few records of bird pollination. Almost three-quarters of species are pollinated by a single higher taxon (e.g. flies or moths); 7 % have bimodal pollination systems, whilst the remaining approx. 20 % are insect generalists. The less phenotypically specialized flowers of the Rauvolfioids are pollinated by a more restricted set of pollinators than are more complex flowers within the Apocynoids + Periplocoideae + Secamonoideae + Asclepiadoideae (APSA) clade. Certain combinations of bimodal pollination systems are more common than others. Some pollination systems are missing from particular regions, whilst others are over-represented. Conclusions Within Apocynaceae, interactions with pollinators are highly structured both phylogenetically and biogeographically. Variation in transition rates between pollination systems suggest constraints on their evolution, whereas regional differences point to environmental effects such as filtering of certain pollinators from habitats. This is the most extensive analysis of its type so far attempted and gives important insights into the diversity and evolution of pollination systems in large clades

Pitfall Flower Development and Organ Identity of Ceropegia sandersonii (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae)

Deceptive Ceropegia pitfall flowers are an outstanding example of synorganized morphological complexity. Floral organs functionally synergise to trap fly-pollinators inside the fused corolla. Successful pollination requires precise positioning of flies headfirst into cavities at the gynostegium. These cavities are formed by the corona, a specialized organ of corolline and/or staminal origin. The interplay of floral organs to achieve pollination is well studied but their evolutionary origin is still unclear. We aimed to obtain more insight in the homology of the corona and therefore investigated floral anatomy, ontogeny, vascularization, and differential MADS-box gene expression in Ceropegia sandersonii using X-ray microtomography, Light and Scanning Electronic Microscopy, and RT-PCR. During 10 defined developmental phases, the corona appears in phase 7 at the base of the stamens and was not found to be vascularized. A floral reference transcriptome was generated and 14 MADS-box gene homologs, representing all major MADS-box gene classes, were identified. B- and C-class gene expression was found in mature coronas. Our results indicate staminal origin of the corona, and we propose a first ABCDE-model for floral organ identity in Ceropegia to lay the foundation for a better understanding of the molecular background of pitfall flower evolution in Apocynaceae

FIGURE 3 in Ceropegia strophanthiflora (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae)-a magnificent and rare new species from South Africa at the brink of extinction

FIGURE 3. Flowers of Ceropegia rehmannii (A,B) and details of reproductive structures of C. strophanthiflora (C,E,G) in comparison to its closest relative C. rehmannii (D,F,H). A, Inflorescence of C. rehmannii. B, Close-up image of C. rehmannii flower. C,D, Sideview of gynostegium. E,F, Top-view of gynostegium. G,H, Pollinarium. Scale bars: 1 cm (A), 2 mm (B), 0.5 mm (C–F), 200 µm (G,H). Photographs: David Styles (A,B) and Annemarie Heiduk (C–H).Published as part of <i>Heiduk, Annemarie & Styles, David G.A., 2023, Ceropegia strophanthiflora (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae)-a magnificent and rare new species from South Africa at the brink of extinction, pp. 27-37 in Phytotaxa 632 (1)</i> on page 32, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.632.1.2, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10435118">http://zenodo.org/record/10435118</a&gt

Ceropegia dodomaensis Heiduk & D. Styles 2023, nom. nov.

<i>Ceropegia dodomaensis</i> Heiduk & D.Styles, <i>nom</i>. <i>nov</i>. <p> Replaced synonym: <i>Brachystelma tanzaniense</i> Peckover (as “ <i>tanzaniensis</i> ”), CactusWorld 37(1): 28 (2019).</p> <p> Type:— TANZANIA. Dodoma Region: Mount Mangaliza (north of Mbuyuni), 09 January 1999, <i>R.Peckover 298</i> (holotype PRU).</p> <p> Blocking name: <i>Ceropegia tanzaniensis</i> Peckover, CactusWorld 37(3): 174 (2019).</p>Published as part of <i>Heiduk, Annemarie & Styles, David G. A., 2023, Ceropegia strophanthiflora (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae) - a magnificent and rare new species from South Africa at the brink of extinction, pp. 27-37 in Phytotaxa 632 (1)</i> on page 33, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.632.1.2, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10435118">http://zenodo.org/record/10435118</a&gt

Ceropegia strophanthiflora Heiduk & D. Styles 2023, sp. nov.

<i>Ceropegia strophanthiflora</i> Heiduk & D.Styles, <i>sp. nov.</i> (Figs.1, 2, 3C,E,G). <p> <b>Type:</b> — SOUTH AFRICA. KwaZulu-Natal: inland of Mtubatuba, <i>ca</i>. 160 m, 08 November 2019, <i>D.G.A. Styles & A. Heiduk 5773</i> (holotype NU! [NU0094577]).</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis:</b> — <i>Ceropegia strophanthiflora</i> differs from <i>C. rehmannii</i> by longer petioles up to 4 mm long (vs. ± 1 mm in <i>C. rehmannii</i>), usually 2-flowered inflorescences (vs. generally 4-flowered in <i>C. rehmannii</i>), centrally purple flowers (vs. centrally creamish-yellow in <i>C. rehmannii</i>) with greenish-yellow, purple speckled corolla lobe bases (vs. dark purplish-maroon in <i>C. rehmannii</i>) and purple vibratile trichomes on margins of the corolla lobe bases (vs. glabrous in <i>C. rehmannii</i>). Corolla lobe tips are more slender, much longer (15–27 mm vs. 10–25 mm in <i>C. rehmannii</i>), reflexed and twisted (vs. usually straight and held upwards in <i>C. rehmannii</i>). The gynostegial corona of <i>C. strophanthiflora</i> has thick, rectangular staminal lobes (vs. linear in <i>C. rehmannii</i>) exceeding the anthers (vs. not exceeding anthers in <i>C. rehmannii</i>), lacks distinct interstaminal corona lobes (vs. present in <i>C. rehmannii</i>), and is glabrous throughout (vs. with tufts of white hairs on interstaminal lobes in <i>C. rehmannii</i>).</p> <p> <b>Description:</b> —Perennial herb. <i>Tuber</i> 60–80 mm in diam., <i>±</i> 50 mm high. <i>Stems</i> 1–2, sub-erect or spreading, to 135 mm tall, <i>±</i> 2 mm in diam., branched at first or second internode, annual, green, hirsute to puberulous, internodes 13–18 mm long. <i>Leaves</i> ovate to broadly lanceolate, 25.5–51.5 × 14.0– 22.5 mm, apex obtuse to acute, petiole 2–4 × 1.5 mm; lamina hirsute above and below; leave margins brownish, undulate, puberulous. <i>Inflorescences</i> extra-axillary, 1–2 flowered; <i>bracts</i> 1.7–2.0 mm long, narrowly triangular; <i>flowers</i> with foul scent reminiscent of dung, anthesis 1–2 days. <i>Pedicel</i> in <i>±</i> 90° angle from stem, <i>±</i> 5.5–8.0 × 1.3 mm, green often with brownish-purplish colourations, hirsute to puberulous. <i>Sepals</i> narrowly lanceolate, 5.5–6.5 × 1.5 mm, green often with brownish-purplish colourations, puberulous, ascending along the corolla base with often incurved tips. <i>Corolla</i> open-rotate, <i>±</i> 52 mm in diameter. <i>Corolla tube</i> shallowly campanulate, ± 4.5–6.5 mm deep, <i>±</i> 13 mm in diam., proportionally 1/5 or less of total corolla length, inside dark purple-brownish with darker spots, glabrous; outside brownish-purplish, scabrid. <i>Corolla lobes</i> spreading to reflexed, <i>±</i> 4–5 times longer than tube, 15–27 mm in total length; <i>corolla lobe bases</i> 5.5–6.0 mm broad at base, 5.5–6.0 mm long, keeled from about half way, basally ovate-triangular, distally attenuate-tapering, merging into slender corolla lobe tips, lush green to greenish-yellow, dark-green or purple speckled, margins revolute, margin brownish-purple and densely fringed with filiform-subulate, purple vibratile trichomes of 1.5–2.0 mm length, otherwise glabrous above, scabrid below; <i>corolla lobe tips</i> confluent with lobe bases, caudate, slender, narrowly lanceolate, <i>±</i> 15–17 mm long, revolute, slightly longitudinally furrowed, twisted, yellowish-green, glabrous above, puberulous below. <i>Gynostegium</i> sessile, dark purple throughout, robust and fleshy-sturdy. <i>Gynostegial corona</i> 4.7–5.5 mm in diam., <i>±</i> 2.5 mm high, of complanate staminal and interstaminal parts, <i>interstaminal corona lobes</i> joined forming a cup with V-shaped thick margin, lobules reduced to obtuse bulges, confluent with inner lobes, glabrous; <i>staminal corona lobes</i> broadly linear-oblong, <i>±</i> 2.5–3.0 × 0.6 mm, appressed to and arising along the anthers and stamen, with slight groove at their base, descending on style-head, not totally covering the latter, tips sometimes bilobed, partly overlapping irregularly, glabrous. <i>Pollinarium</i> with broadly ovoid pollinia tapering towards corpusculum, <i>±</i> 450 × 380 µm, yellowish, with narrow insertion crest <i>±</i> 250 µm long and 50 µm broad; caudicles <i>±</i> 100 µm long; corpusculum sagittate, <i>±</i> 390 × 215 µm, reddish brown. <i>Follicles</i> usually with both mericarps developed, erect, narrowly fusiform tapering at the tip, <i>±</i> 80 mm long and 6 mm in diam., glabrous. <i>Seeds</i> linear-oblong, flattened, with broad margin, comose, coma white, <i>±</i> 1 cm long.</p> Additional material examined <p> <i>Ceropegia strophanthiflora</i>:— SOUTH AFRICA. KwaZulu-Natal: inland of Mtubatuba, <i>ca</i>. 158 m, 28 November 2020, <i>D. G. A. Styles</i> & <i>A. Heiduk 6142</i> (flowers in ethanol NU! [NU 0094579]).</p> <p> <i>Ceropegia rehmannii</i>:— SOUTH AFRICA. KwaZulu-Natal: Umgungundlovu District, north of Wartburg, <i>ca</i>. 735 m, 26 October 2020, <i>D. G. A. Styles & A. Heiduk 6141</i> (NU! [NU 0094578]).</p> <p> <b>Distribution and habitat:</b> — <i>Ceropegia strophanthiflora</i> occurs in an area of transition from Zululand Coastal Thornveld to Zululand Lowveld and falls within the south-western edge of the Maputaland Centre of Plant Endemism. These vegetation types are described in Mucina & Rutherford (2006), where assessed as Endangered and Vulnerable respectively (Rutherford <i>et al.</i> 2006). South Africa’s 2018 National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA), which treated ecosystem types according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) Framework (Bland <i>et al</i>. 2017), reassessed them as Critically Endangered and Least Concern respectively (Skowno <i>et al</i>. 2019). Subsequently, Zululand Coastal Thornveld was declared a Critically Endangered ecosystem in the Revised National List of Threatened Ecosystems (South African Government 2022), where it is stated that it is “narrowly distributed with high rates of habitat loss in the past 28 years (1990–2018), placing the ecosystem type at risk of collapse”.</p> <p> The population of <i>Ceropegia strophanthiflora</i> occurs within the grassland component of a thicket and grassland mosaic which appears to have been relatively protected from grazing and browsing by livestock. Review of aerial imagery and follow-up visits to the type locality indicate that the vegetation is infrequently burnt and the grassy growth may remain moribund for many years. Consequently, grassland habitat at the type locality is experiencing a significant degree of bush encroachment, with problem species including <i>Dichrostachys cinerea</i> (Linnaeus 1753: 520 [no. 25]) Wight & Arnott (1834: 271), <i>Lippia javanica</i> Sprengel (1825: 752) and the weedy herb <i>Helichrysum kraussii</i> Schultz ‘Bipontinus’ (1844: 679). It is additionally invaded by the alien invasive species <i>Chromolaena odorata</i> (Linnaeus 1759: 1205) R.M.King & H.Robinson (1970: 204), <i>Lantana camara</i> Linnaeus (1753: 627) and a <i>Eucalyptus</i> L’Héritier (1788: 18) species. Interventions are urgently needed to protect the population and must include destroying woody and scrubby encroachers (requiring both cutting and use of herbicide), alien plant control and regular burning.</p> <p> The most common constituents of bush clumps and thicket within the habitat are the following shrubs or small trees: <i>Coddia rudis</i> (E.Meyer ex Harvey 1859: i 22) Verdcourt (1981: 509), <i>Diospyros dichrophylla</i> (Gandoger 1918: 56) De Winter (1963: xxvi. 75), <i>Euclea daphnoides</i> Hiern (1873: 102), <i>Gymnosporia maranguensis</i> Loesener (1908: 303), <i>G. senegalensis</i> (Lamarck 1785: 661) Loesener (1893: 541) and <i>Scutia myrtina</i> (Burman f. 1768: 60) Kurz (1876: 168). Some are spiny and most are likely unpalatable or toxic to livestock. <i>Aloe parvibracteata</i> Schönland (1907: 139) is also quite common. Less often encountered are <i>Acacia nilotica</i> (Linnaeus 1753: 521) Willdenow ex Delile (1813: 79), <i>Grewia occidentalis</i> Linnaeus (1753: 294), <i>Hippobromus pauciflorus</i> Radlkofer (1895: iii, 5), and <i>Trichilia emetica</i> Vahl (1790: 31). Herbaceous species co-occurring with <i>C. strophanthiflora</i> include <i>Acrotome hispida</i> Bentham (1848: 436), <i>Stylosanthes fruticosa</i> (Retzius 1779–1791: Fasc. v. 26) Alston (1931: vi. suppl., 77), <i>Crabbea hirsuta</i> Harvey (1842: 27), <i>Gnidia capitata</i> Linnaeus (1782: 224), <i>Justicia anagalloides</i> T. Anderson (1863: 42), <i>Macledium zeyheri</i> (Sonders) S.Ortiz subsp. <i>argyrophullum</i> (Oliver 1884: t. 1461) S. Ortiz (2001: 743), <i>Thunbergia atriplicifolia</i> E. Meyer (1847: 226), <i>Vernonia natalensis</i> Schulz ex Walpers (1843: 947), and <i>Waltheria indica</i> Linnaeus (1753: 673).</p> <p>The type locality is situated within a larger natural area enclosed by a patchwork of informal settlement, next to which the heavy utilization of veld by cattle and goats has reduced much of the grass cover to near lawn-like consistency. While there is still some herbaceous grassland plant diversity, this tends to comprise unpalatable or very low-growing species. It is nonetheless possible that some plants could still occur here, but these conditions are not conducive to long-term survival.</p> <p>A further issue highlighted is expansion of coal mining inland of Mtubatuba in future. Mining may displace existing settlement, and by providing improved access and temporary economic and employment opportunities, promote new and increased settlement with all of its accompanying impacts. This can transform potential habitat and unless it is well managed and mitigated cause further encroachment on the type locality.</p> <p> <b>Phenology:</b> — <i>Ceropegia strophanthiflora</i> was seen in flower between November and January. Fruits were seen in January.</p> <p> <b>Etymology:</b> —The specific epithet ‘ <i>strophanthiflora</i> ’ refers to the unusually long, caudate and twisted, reflexed corolla lobes reminiscent of flowers found in the genus <i>Strophanthus</i>.</p> <p> <b>Conservation status:</b> — <i>Ceropegia strophanthiflora</i> is only known from the type locality which lies within a highly transformed area. Not more than 10 individuals were found to occur at this locality. The habitat is critically threatened by grazing, poor fire-management of grassland, bush encroachment and above all by continuing and expanding settlement and accompanying disturbance. We explicitly recommend that the conservation status of <i>C. strophanthiflora</i> is declared to be Critically Endangered (CR) under Criteria B 1(a)(b), C2(a)(i) and D (IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee 2019). This species appears to be at the brink of extinction and there is a dire need to protect this exceptionally rare species, including from unscrupulous private collectors.</p>Published as part of <i>Heiduk, Annemarie & Styles, David G. A., 2023, Ceropegia strophanthiflora (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae) - a magnificent and rare new species from South Africa at the brink of extinction, pp. 27-37 in Phytotaxa 632 (1)</i> on pages 28-33, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.632.1.2, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10435118">http://zenodo.org/record/10435118</a&gt

Ceropegia cordiloba Werdermann

<i>Ceropegia cordiloba</i> Werdermann, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 70(2): 209 (1939). <p> Basionym: <i>Ceropegia papillata</i> N.E.Brown var. <i>cordiloba</i> (Werdermann) H.Huber, Mem. Soc. Br. 12: 152 (1957).</p> <p> Type:— TANZANIA. Songea District: Matengo Hills at Litembo, 1500–1600 m, 20 April 1939, <i>H.Zerny 438</i> (holotype B †; lectotype P [P00109660], designated here).</p> <p> <i>Ceropegia tanzaniensis</i> Peckover, CactusWorld 37(3): 174 (2019), <i>syn. nov.</i> Type:— TANZANIA. Njombe Region: Mlangali village, February 2015, <i>R.Peckover 291</i> (holotype PRU).</p> <p> <b>Notes:</b> —Still following the traditional genus concept in Ceropegieae, <i>Ceropegia dodomaensis</i> was originally described in <i>Brachystelma</i> as <i>B. tanzaniensis</i> (correctly “ <i>tanzaniense</i> ”), but in accordance with the current proposals to consider <i>Brachystelma</i> as belonging to <i>Ceropegia</i> (Bruyns <i>et al</i>. 2017; Endress <i>et al</i>. 2018; Goyder <i>et al</i>. 2020), the transfer of this taxon to <i>Ceropegia</i> has become necessary. Curiously, shortly after publishing <i>B. tanzaniense</i>, Ralph Peckover himself published another name, i.e., <i>Ceropegia tanzaniensis</i> Peckover (2019b: 174), for a taxon from Tanzania, which he placed in <i>Ceropegia</i> based on its kettle-trap flowers typical for <i>Ceropegia</i> s.str. In consequence, this name is no longer available for the transfer of <i>B. tanzaniense</i> to <i>Ceropegia</i>. We therefore here propose the new name <i>C. dodomaensis</i> referring to the area where the type specimen was collected. Based on its vegetative (fleshy, disc-like single tuber, short erect stems) and floral characters (short corolla tube, spreading corolla lobes), <i>C. dodomaensis</i> clearly belongs in section <i>Chamaesiphon</i>.</p> <p> It appears that the blocking name for the transfer of <i>Brachystelma tanzaniense</i>, i.e., <i>Ceropegia tanzaniensis</i>, was superfluously created as the material described under this name belongs to the already existing taxon <i>C. cordiloba</i> Werdermann (1939: 209) —thus, <i>C. tanzaniensis</i> is reduced to a synonym of this species. <i>Ceropegia cordiloba</i>, described by Erich Werdermann in 1939, was not accepted as a species by Huber (1957) who treated it as <i>C. papillata</i> var. <i>cordiloba</i> (Werderm.) Huber (1957: 152) in his revision of <i>Ceropegia</i>; also, Bruyns <i>et al</i>. (2017) did not accept the species status of this taxon. However, <i>C. cordiloba</i> (incl. <i>C. tanzaniensis</i>) was recollected several times over the last years, and these recollections show little variation and do not differ from the type collection of 1939. The broadened and roof-shaped fused corolla lobe tips are an unmistakable distinguishing feature of this Tanzanian endemic. We therefore follow the proposal by Masinde in Goyder <i>et al</i>. (2012: 236) that <i>C. cordiloba</i> is indeed a good species and hereby reinstate it as such. Finally, lectotypification becomes necessary because the holotype was destroyed in Berlin (B). The duplicate specimen lodged in Paris (P) is the only available type material and has to serve as lectotype.</p> Additional material examined <p> <i>Ceropegia cordiloba</i>:— TANZANIA. Dodoma Region: Mpwapwa District, Rubeho Mts, Wotta Forest Reserve, 22 March 2017, <i>A.Hemp 6777</i> (UBT).</p>Published as part of <i>Heiduk, Annemarie & Styles, David G. A., 2023, Ceropegia strophanthiflora (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae) - a magnificent and rare new species from South Africa at the brink of extinction, pp. 27-37 in Phytotaxa 632 (1)</i> on pages 33-34, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.632.1.2, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10435118">http://zenodo.org/record/10435118</a&gt

Ceropegia rudatisii Schlechter 1907

<i>Ceropegia rudatisii</i> Schlechter (1907: 94). (Figs. 1 & 2). <p> <b>Type:</b> — SOUTH AFRICA. KwaZulu-Natal Province: Alexandra-County, kurz begraste Weiden bei Fairfield, alt. c. 700 m, December 1905, <i>H. Rudatis 203</i> (Holotype: B, destroyed).</p> <p> <b>Neotype:</b> — SOUTH AFRICA. KwaZulu-Natal: District Alexandra, Station Dumisa, Farm Friedenau, Fairfield, alt. 700 m, 28 February 1908, <i>H. Rudatis 500</i> (K000305620; designated by Huber (1957: 135); isoneotypes: GH00076275; BM000645910).</p> <p> Perennial erect herb. <i>Rootstock</i> producing a cluster of fleshy fusiform roots up to 130 mm long and 4.5–6 mm thick; latex clear. <i>Stems</i> single, rarely two from rootstock, unbranched, annual, green, fleshy, glabrous, 300–500 mm tall, ca. 4 mm in diameter; internodes 20–40 mm long. <i>Leaves</i> ascending to suberect, shortly petiolate; petiole 1.5–2.6 mm long, glabrous; lamina ovate, 39.5–67.5 × 16.5–39.5 mm, flatly spread out, slightly fleshy, fairly stiff, base obtuse, apex acute to acumen, glabrous, blueish-green with thin purple margin, glaucous, with 4–5 lateral nerves. <i>Inflorescences</i> extra-axillary, sessile at youngest node, uniflorous, with single bract 2–4 mm long, lanceolate, acute; <i>pedicel</i> erect, 50– 53 × 1.5–2.0 mm, green, fleshy, glabrous. <i>Calyx</i> lobes narrowly lanceolate, 8.5–18.5 × 0.9–1.1 mm, ascending, acute, pale green, glabrous, about at least 1/2 as long as corolla tube inflation (ostiolum). <i>Flowers</i> with musty-acidic petrollike scent, anthesis c. 3-4 days. <i>Corolla</i> upright or held at a ca. 45° angle from stem, slightly curved from basal inflation (ostiolum), 56.5–85.0 mm in total length; corolla tube 33–48 mm in total length, slightly longitudinally furrowed throughout with furrows being more prominent at mouth; outside glabrous, green merging into purple colouration above ostiolum, and again greenish at throat; inside glabrous smooth throughout; ostiolum whitish with longitudinal purple stripes, stripes thinner at transition to tube; tube dark purple merging into whitish with dark purple coloured reticulation towards throat; ostiolum cylindrical to ovoid, 11.5–21.5 × 5.0–6.0 mm; tube cylindrical, 15.5–24.0 mm long, centrally ca. 2.7 mm in diam.; apical section of tube (mouth) slightly funnel-shaped, 5–7 mm wide. <i>Corolla lobes</i> confluent with the tube, 28.0–43.0 mm in total length, <i>corolla lobe bases</i> short and narrowly strut-like, 2.0– 3.5 mm long, leaving 1.5–2.0 mm wide oval openings between each other, greenish but dark purple at upper sections and with dark-purple recurved margins, <i>corolla lobe tips</i> subulate, 27.5–34.5 × 2.5–3.0 mm, flaccid-pendulous, folded backwards along midrib, exposed upper surface lush green and densely pilose throughout, basally with vibratile trichomes at margins, trichomes clavate, pendulous, 3–4 mm long, purplish. <i>Gynostegium</i> shortly stipitate, dark purple throughout and only basally incl. stipe whitish or whitish and dark purple speckled. <i>Gynostegial corona</i> 3–4 mm in diam., of staminal and interstaminal parts, <i>interstaminal corona lobes</i> joined to form a cup, lobes deeply bifid, lobules ca. 0.8 mm long, small triangular to falcate with the tips spreading, margins pilose with spreading translucent-white trichomes 0.5–1.0 mm long, <i>staminal corona lobes</i> erect, linear, 2.5–3.0 × ca. 0.4 mm, parallel to each other with only the tips slightly recurved, purple, sometimes with whitish tips, glabrous. <i>Pollinarium</i>: pollinia broadly ovoid, ca. 350 × 250 μm, yellow, with rounded insertion crest ca. 150 μm long; caudicles ca. 50 μm long; corpusculum obclavate, but distally oblate and centrally slightly compressed, ca. 205 × 100 μm, reddish brown. <i>Ovaries</i> narrowly conical, ca. 2.2 × 0.5 mm, glabrous. <i>Follicles</i> with two mericarps developed, erect, linear, slightly longitudinally furrowed, 180–210 mm long and 5–7 mm in diam., glabrous. <i>Seeds</i> linear-oblong, 12 × 5–6 mm, flattened, with broad margin, ca. 1.3 mm wide; coma 50–55 mm long, white.</p>Published as part of <i>Heiduk, Annemarie, Styles, David G. A. & Meve, Ulrich, 2021, Long-lost Ceropegia rudatisii (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae) - Rediscovered and redescribed after 100 years, pp. 123-130 in Phytotaxa 498 (2)</i> on page 124, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.498.2.5, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/5424167">http://zenodo.org/record/5424167</a&gt

FIGURE 3. Ceropegia gilboaensis. A in Ceropegia gilboaensis (Apocynaceae), a new species from the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

FIGURE 3. Ceropegia gilboaensis. A, Gynostegium in dorsal view; B, Flower in dorsal view; C, Pollinarium; D, Half flower detail; E, Flower in lateral view; F, Gynostegium in dorso-lateral view; G, Habit with detached flowering shoot. Scale bar: A: 1 mm; B: 2.5 mm; C: 0.6 mm; D: 0.8 mm; E: 4 mm; F: 1.3 mm; G: 10 mm. Artist: Angela Beaumont.Published as part of <i>Heiduk, Annemarie, Crouch, Neil R. & Styles, David G.A., 2023, Ceropegia gilboaensis (Apocynaceae), a new species from the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, pp. 125-136 in Phytotaxa 591 (2)</i> on page 130, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.591.2.4, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10121325">http://zenodo.org/record/10121325</a&gt