1. Ceropegia macrocarpa (Sprenger) Bruyns, S. African J. Bot. 112: 424 (2017) Figs 4, 5; Map 1

Huernia macrocarpa ≡ Huernia macrocarpa Sprenger, Cat. Dammann & Co. 59: 4 (1892) Type: Eritrea • Penzig s.n. (K epitype) .

Huernia macrocarpa arabica = Huernia macrocarpa var. arabica (N. E. Brown) A. C. White & B. Sloane (1937)

Huernia macrocarpa penzigii = Huernia macrocarpa var. penzigii (N. E. Brown) A. C. White & B. Sloane (1937)

Huernia macrocarpa schweinfurthii = Huernia macrocarpa var. schweinfurthii (A. Berger) A. C. White & B. Sloane (1937)

Huernia penzigii = Huernia penzigii N. E. Brown (1892)

Huernia penzigii arabica = Huernia penzigii var. arabica (N. E. Brown) A. Berger (1910)

Huernia penzigii schimperi = Huernia penzigii var. schimperi A. Berger (1910)

Huernia penzigii schweinfurthii = Huernia penzigii var. schweinfurthii A. Berger (1910)

Description.

Dwarf succulent forming dense clump. Branches 60 mm long, non-rhizomatous, erect, decumbent, grey-green mottled with purple-red; tubercles up to 10 mm long (including leaf-rudiment), conical, spreading, laterally flattened and joined into 5 angles along branch, each tipped with a soft slender acuminate caducous leaf-rudiment. Inflorescence usually only 1 per branch, arising in lower half of branch, each bearing 2-3 flowers developing mainly successively, flowers with no unpleasant smell; pedicel spreading and holding flower facing horizontally. Corolla 15 mm diam., shallow bowl shape; outside smooth, cream-speckled with maroon, with 1 heavy (+ 2 lighter) raised longitudinal veins running from lobes to base of tube; inside uniformly coloured with purplish-red, covered except in lower third of tube with very small wart-like papillae; tube cupular; lobes ascending, deltoid, acuminate. Corona without basal stipe; outer lobes spreading on base of tube and fused partially to it, discrete to 5-lobed with each lobe subquadrate emarginate or slightly crenate, blackish-maroon; inner lobes maroon, adpressed to backs of anthers exceeding them and meeting in centre, dorsiventrally flattened around laterally broadened base becoming terete above and tapering gradually to obtuse bristly apex, a transversely conspicuously gibbous, broadened at the base with an acute end.

Distribution in Saudi Arabia.

Rare, known only from Asir between Abha and Jabal Sawdah, SW Saudi Arabia (Chaudhary 2001).

General distribution.

Somaliland, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South west Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, Yemen) (Albers and Meve 2002).

Habitat and ecology.

Growing amongst granitic rocks and scattered shrubs on a steep hillside at 2700 m alt. (Collenette 1999).

Diagnosis.

This species can be easily distinguished from other members of sect. Huernia Huernia in Saudi Arabia by the small maroon bowl-shaped flowers.

Etymology.

Macrocarpus (Greek) 'makros', large; and 'karpos', fruit (Eggli and Newton 2004).

Preliminary conservation status.

The species is known only from one location near Sawda Mountain; the estimated EOO and AOO of 8 km 2 would place the species in the Critically Endangered (CR) status. However, little is known about the size of the population and possible threats. Therefore, Data Deficient (DD) is assigned to this species.

Additional specimens examined.

Ethiopia, Gilbert 2945 (E [fl in spirit])