4.1 Ceropegia lodarensis (Lavranos) Bruyns var. lodarensis Figs 10, 11; Map 4

Huernia lodarensis ≡ Huernia lodarensis Lavranos, J. S. African Bot. 30: 87 (1964). Type: Yemen - Lodar (Lawdar) • J. J. Lavranos 1900 (holotype: K [fl in spirit: 24982.000]); 13°52.6751'N, 45°51.7598'E; alt. 900 m; 19 Aug 1962 .

Huernia collenetteae = Huernia collenetteae Plowes, Asklepios 114: 8 (2012). syn. nov. Type: Saudi Arabia - Asir • I. S. Collenette 1176 (clonotype: SRGH [DP6868]); between Abha and Jabal Sawdah; 18°14.425'N, 42°25.2244'E; alt. 2650 m .

Huernia saudi-arabica = Huernia saudi-arabica D. V. Field, Kew Bull. 35(4): 754 (1981). Type: Saudi Arabia - Asir • I. S. Collenette 549 (holotype: k! [K000911103]); between Abha and Jabal Sawdah, 12 km NW Abha; 18°15.7389'N, 42°23.1535'E; alt. 2650 m.; 31 Mar 1978 .

Description.

Branches 30-90 mm long; tubercles 4-10 mm long (including leaf-rudiment), 1.5-5 mm broad at base. Inflorescence bearing 2-10 flowers developing in gradual succession from short peduncle, sometimes 3 flowers developing simultaneously, flowers with no foetid odour, rarely with faint unpleasant smell; pedicel 8-20 mm long, 1-2.5 mm thick, ascending holding flower facing upwards, tapering sometimes towards the point of flower attachment; sepals 8-18 mm long, 1-2.5 mm broad at base, attenuate. Corolla 30-50 mm diam., campanulate; outside smooth, cream-speckled with pale maroon spots uniformly scattered or concentrated on the upper half of corolla tube, sometimes spots become darker especially on the upper half; inside cream with irregular-shaped short maroon lines and dashes changing to concentric broken lines in lower half of tube or uniformly coloured with purplish-red, sometimes deep coloured areas concentrated between the lobes or corolla entirely uniformly coloured with purplish-red; papillae up to 3 mm long and 1.2 mm base width; tube 7.5-15.5 mm long, 11-22 mm broad at mouth, pentagonal; lobes 9-22.8 mm long, 9-14.25 mm broad at base, spreading to spreading with recurved apex or sometimes reflexed, deltoid, caudate to acute or acuminate, concave at tip, intermediate lobes 1.5-4 mm long. Outer corona lobes (5-10 mm diam.) discrete to 5 rectangular lobes; inner lobes 3-6 mm long, 1-1.5 mm at base.

Distribution in Saudi Arabia.

Scattered over a wide area, extending from Al Habala in SW of the country to Al-Hadda in Al-Taif in the Western Region.

General distribution.

Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia and Yemen) and Africa (Ethiopia; Bruyns, P. V. 8432, E; http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/ E 00995868)

Habitat and ecology.

It occurs at 900-2650 m alt. in granitic outcrops mainly under shrubs. Flowering: mostly Aug-May

Diagnosis.

Ceropegia lodarensis var. lodarensis is most similar to C. khalidbinsultanii, but differs in having a larger campanulate corolla with compressed conical papillae (up to 1.2 mm broad at base), sometimes uniformly coloured with purplish-red, flower with no or only faint bad smell and has shorter tubercles on the branches.

Etymology.

Lodarensis for the occurrence at Lodar (Lawdar) in Yemen (Eggli and Newton 2004).

Preliminary conservation status.

Ceropegia lodarensis var. lodarensis should be assessed as Near Threatened (NT) in Saudi Arabia due to species’ AOO of 3,900 km 2 and EOO of 12,509.959 km 2 and the current threats of tourism, overgrazing, infrastructure and housing development.

Additional specimens examined.

Saudi Arabia - Asir • I. S. Collenette 1280 (k [fl in spirit: 44272.000] & E); Al Habala, 50 km SE of Abha; 18°1.6787'N, 42°51.3655'E; alt. 2384 m; 06 Apr1979 .

Saudi Arabia - Al-Baha • I. S. Collenette 7785 (k [fl in spirit: 57339.000]); Jabal Shada, SW of Al Baha; 19°50.9947'N, 41°19.0693'E; alt. 1933 m; 07 Apr1991; I. S. Collenette 8267 (K [fl in spirit: 59350.000]); same data as for preceding; 15 Sep1992 .

Saudi Arabia - Al-Taif • I. S. Collenette 815 (K!, herbarium specimen); Wadi Ammak near Al Hadda; 21°20.9808'N, 40°17.7485'E; alt. 2100 m ; I. S. Collenette 2227 (K [fl in spirit: 44371.000, 53692.000]); Al-Hada; 21°20.8387'N, 40°17.152'E; alt. 2000 m; 1981 ; I. S. Collenette 2633 (K [fl in spirit:45473.000, 45894.000, herb. material sub DP6599 & sub Leach 17652]); SW of Al Hadda, off Taif to Abha Road; 21°18.4696'N, 40°22.1371'E; alt. 2100 m; 07 May 1981 ; I. S. Collenette 5780 (K [fl in spirit: 35856.000]); Between Al Hadda and Harithi; 21°5.7571'N, 40°55.0155'E; alt. 1620 m; 23 Mar1986 ; S. A. Alharbi S1 b (UQU); Wadi Thee Gazal, Ash Shafa; 21°5.4656'N, 40°21.7937'E; alt. 2057 m; 29 Dec 2010 ; S. A. Alharbi S2 b (UQU); same data as for preceding; 09 Dec 2010; S. A. Alharbi S3 b (UQU); same data as for preceding; 23 Jan 2011; S. A. Alharbi S4 b (UQU); same data as for preceding; 29 Dec 2010; S. A. Alharbi S5 b (UQU); same data as for preceding; 23 Nov 2010; S. A. Alharbi S6 b (UQU); same data as for preceding; 02 Oct 2011; S. A. Alharbi S9 b (UQU); same data as for preceding; 23 Nov 2010; S. A. Alharbi S9 a (UQU); same data as for preceding; 05 Jan 2011; S. A. Alharbi S18 a (UQU); same data as for preceding; 21°5.5702'N, 40°21.785'E; 17 Dec 2010 .

I. S. Collenette 1523 (E [fl in spirit]); A. J. Bntler AJB 13 (E [fl in spirit]).