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Ceropegia modestantha

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The flower by Davis Styles, Sanbi.org.

Author: Peter Vincent Bruyns, 2017
Family:  ASCLEPIADACEAE*
Origin:   KwaZulu-Natal, Inanda, Eston, S. Durban; South Africa
Soil:  Mix
Water:  Medium
Sun:  Medium
Thickness:  2-3 Centimetres
Height:  3 Centimetres
Flower:   Cream / Dark Purple
PropagateSeeds
Names:  -
Synonyms:  Brachystelma modestum, Robert Allen Dyer, 1954

This member of the Asclepiadaceae* family was given this name by Peter Vincent Bruyns in 2017. It is found in South Africa, growing in a well drained soil with some water and some sun. The caudex can grow from two to three centimetres in diameter, the entire plant to three centimetres in height. The flowers are cream and dark purple.

The genera name is from the Greek word keropegion meaning 'candelabrum', because Linnaeus thought that the flowers looked like candles. The species name modestum appears well deserved since the flowers are so astonishingly attractive, while the plant itself is hidden in grass in shallow soil among rocks.

*)Accordantly to the latest taxonomic system; APG IV 2016, Asclepiadaceae is now part of the Apocynaceae.