Cotyledon pendens
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Cotyledon pendens |
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| van Jaarsv. |
Cotyledon pendens is a species of the genus Cotyledon in the thick-leaf family(Crassulaceae). The specific epithet pendens comes from Latin , means 'hanging' and refers to the growth habit of the species.
description
Cotyledon pendens forms many branched and rapidly growing small shrubs with hanging stems, which can reach a length of up to 60 centimeters without an inflorescence. The hanging branches form dense curtains. The thin and slightly whitish frosted shoots are sparsely covered with hairy glands . Branches are formed at the nodes, which are 7 to 15 millimeters apart . The older, lower branches lignify and reach a diameter of up to 5 millimeters. They have a brownish and peeling bark. The succulent, elliptical to elliptical-egg-shaped leaves are cross-opposite. They are wedge-shaped at the base and are 18-25 millimeters long, 10-15 millimeters wide and 7-10 millimeters thick. The gray-green leaf blade has a whitish frostbite and glandular hair, later there are no more hairs. The rounded edge of the leaf is spotted dark reddish brown and more intensely colored towards the tip. The petiole is 25-30 millimeters long.
The 50-90 millimeter long, hanging inflorescence consists of a simple dichasium with two to four individual flowers, rarely with only one single flower. There are a pair of opposite supporting sheets formed, which are arranged alternately with two or three smaller sheets. The hairy inflorescence stalk is 30–40 millimeters long and 2 millimeters in diameter. It is covered with a leaf-like pair of linear-elliptical bracts that are 5–10 millimeters long and up to 2.5 millimeters wide. The hairy flower stalk is 8-12 millimeters, sometimes up to 18 millimeters long. The triangular, green sepals are close to the flower and are 5 × 5 millimeters in size. The orange-red petals are 40–45 millimeters long and 12–13 millimeters wide and form a cylindrical tube that is up to 20 millimeters long and slightly curved in the middle. The spread out, linear to lanceolate corolla lobes are 25 × 8 millimeters in size and slightly longer than the tube.
Ten upright, yellowish green stamens are formed, which stand in two coils. They are 18 to 20 millimeters long and the lower third is fused with the tube. A dense tuft of hair is formed at the point of adhesion. The spherical and yellow anthers are 1.5–2.2 millimeters in size. The oblong and upright nectar flakes are yellowish green and are 2 × 3 millimeters in size. The five slender carpels become 20 millimeters long. The hanging fruit capsule always points away from the rock face.
Distribution and systematics
Cotyledon pendens is widespread in the South African province of Eastern Cape on the Mbashe River and is only known from its type location.
The first description by Ernst Jacobus van Jaarsveld was published in 2003.
proof
literature
- Aloe , Journal of the South African Aloe and Succulent Society, Pretoria. Volume 40, Number 2, 2003, pp. 36-40.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names . Springer, Berlin / Heidelberg 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-05597-3 , p. 181.
