Huernia stapelioides flower centre

Seen close-up, the Huernia stapelioides flower discloses the main concentration of its papillae inside the rim or lip of the corolla cup. They protrude inwardly, pointing about horizontally across the cup. The base of the cup is maroon, its walls maroon-ringed and the rim has maroon papillae, also mostly in areas where the surface is creamy yellow.

On the blades of the maroon-tipped lobes the few papillae are either colour, while the second concentration of papillae along the margins include yellow ones with maroon tips. The plant was named stapelioides (stapelia-like) on account of the resemblance between these papillae and those in a Stapelia verrucosa flower.

The prominent, finger-like star in the flower centre is the five-lobed inner corona. The nearly square lobes of the outer corona are about black down in the cup base, just visible spreading around the central column.

The photo was taken in the Magaliesberg (Hardy and Fabian, 1992; White and Sloane, 1937).