Orbea hardyi flower

The flowers of Orbea hardyi are borne from the upper parts of the stems, one to four of them per inflorescence, opening in sequence. The buds have acute tips, broadening abruptly above the middle.

The five-pointed corolla is a flat-based, shallow bowl rather than a tube. A bulging, fleshy ring or disc-like annulus is found in the corolla base. It is mottled dark red in irregular patterns, as is the rest of the corolla in varied colour shades and density. The corolla measures about 7 cm across.

The generic name, Orbea, is derived from the Latin word orbis, meaning ring, referring to the annulus. Such rings are found on more flowers in the Apocynaceae family, for instance in some Huernia species (Hardy and Fabian, 1992; Germishuizen and Fabian, 1982; http://llifle.com; www.succulent-plant.com).