taxonID	type	description	language	source
F3417A1C8F2DFFE3FF29F8A75C8AF04C.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: — Ceropegia ornata resembles C. delicata, but can be distinguished by shorter stems 45 mm long (vs. 60 mm long in C. delicata), smaller leaves 12 × 1.5 – 2 mm (vs. 25 × 2 – 7 mm in C. delicata), fleshy leaves with crispate margins (vs. not fleshy with straight margins in C. delicata), shorter pedicels ca. 1 mm long (vs. up to 5 mm long in C. delicata), green corolla lobe bases speckled purple (vs. purely white in C. delicata), yellow corolla lobe tips (vs. dark-yellow to brownish in C. delicata), a smaller corona diameter 1 mm (vs. 2.7 mm in C. delicata), short and bulged outer corona lobes (vs. triangular, acute in C. delicata), tufts of white trichomes at the base of the outer corona lobes (vs. glabrous corona in C. delicata), obtuse inner corona lobes (vs. 3 - lobed in C. delicata), obovoid rounded pollinia (vs. pyriform in C. delicata), and non-winged corpuscula (vs. short winged in C. delicata).	en	Martínez-Azorín, Mario, Dold, Anthony P., Powell, Michael John (2025): Ceropegia ornata (Asclepiadoideae, Ceropegieae) a new species from Eastern Cape, South Africa. Phytotaxa 731 (2): 159-168, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6
F3417A1C8F2DFFE3FF29F8A75C8AF04C.taxon	materials_examined	Type: — SOUTH AFRICA. Eastern Cape (3225): Deelkraal Farm, Somerset East District, ± 25 km South of KwaNojoli (Somerset East) (DC), 805 m elevation, gentle north facing slope on rocky ground, shallow sandy soil, Karroid vegetation, 31 October 2024 (in flower), A. P. Dold & M. J. Powell TD 16071 (holotype GRA!). Perennial herb up to 45 mm high. Tuber subglobose, ca. 40 mm diameter, pale brown; roots fleshy from base, up to 25 mm long, 1 – 2 mm thick. Stem erect from centre of tuber, unbranched, pale brown, ca. 15 × 5 mm below ground; immediately branching above ground with> 6 branches, up to 35 mm long, flexuose, dull purple-mauve, canescent. Leaves succulent, subsessile, opposite, linear, 8 – 12 mm long, 1.5 – 2 mm wide, 0.5 mm thick, ± crisped, slightly twisted on own axis, dull green to deep chocolate-brown, with scattered minute papillae, margins reddish, with minute white trichomes evenly distributed along leaf margin, upper surface minutely papillate, lower surface with scattered white trichomes, concentrated along prominent keel. Flowers 1 – 4, disposed in fascicles, one or two opening in succession. Pedicels ca. 1 mm long, mauve with minute white trichomes. Sepals lanceolate to narrowly triangular, 1.5 mm long, 0.6 mm wide at base, dull mauve with scattered purplish speckles, clothed with minute white trichomes on outer surface, margins thickened, cartilaginous. Flower buds pentagonal club-shaped, deeply grooved, depressed at tip, 4 mm long, 2 mm wide at base, dull greenish-mauve. Corolla 3.5 mm long, 5 mm across when fully opened. Corolla tube cup-shaped, ca. 1.2 mm deep, sinuses flaring outwards. Corolla lobes, ca. 2.8 mm long, ca. 1 mm broad at base, oblong, free and spreading, upper half ascending-incurved, tips obtuse, apices with a small white incurved cusp, inner surface concave with margins prominently recurved towards distal end, greenish speckled purple, distal third abruptly yellow, without speckles, margins and apices tinged reddish, dull greenish-mauve, faintly mauve-speckled. Corona pale green, ca. 1.5 mm in diameter, outer lobe base forming 5 nectar cups, each with two rounded, erect-spreading lobules, ca. 0.2 mm long, on either side, each with a tuft of stiff white trichomes, up to 0.2 mm long at the inner base, inner lobes oblong, ca. 0.4 mm long, with translucent margin, incumbent on backs of anthers, not covering the style head. Pollinia obovoid rounded, ca. 0.2 mm long, ca. 0.1 mm wide, flattened, golden yellow, with a broad flattened translucent insertion crest at distal end, corpusculum elliptic, dark brown, not winged, caudicle a short cylindrical arm. Fruit and seeds not seen.	en	Martínez-Azorín, Mario, Dold, Anthony P., Powell, Michael John (2025): Ceropegia ornata (Asclepiadoideae, Ceropegieae) a new species from Eastern Cape, South Africa. Phytotaxa 731 (2): 159-168, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6
F3417A1C8F2DFFE3FF29F8A75C8AF04C.taxon	etymology	Etymology: — The specific epithet derives from the Latin word ornatus, meaning adorned or decorated, referring to the attractive speckled flower. Phenology: — The new species flowers from late October to early November and flowers opening in succession and last two or three days. Flowering records of the sympatric species C. delicata and C. huttonii span from October to February. Habitat and biology: — Ceropegia ornata is found in Double Drift Karroid Thicket vegetation, a mosaic vegetation type (Vlok & Euston Brown 2002) found within the Albany Thicket Biome (Hoare et al. 2006). Mosaic vegetation types are distinct in having a binary vegetation structure where two biomes meet. Here Fish Valley Thicket (Grobler et al. 2018) (a vegetation type within the Albany Thicket biome) meets the Nama Karoo biome (Mucina et al. 2006). Within this mosaic, scattered bush clumps (representing Albany Thicket) are typically dominated by small trees. Between the bush clumps, the karroid vegetation (representing Nama Karoo) is characterised by low woody shrubs (Grobler et al. 2018). Pollination systems in Ceropegia s. l., i. e., species with and without kettle-trap flowers, are generally highly specific and it has been shown that this specificity is based on scent chemistry (Shuttleworth et al. 2017, du Plessis et al. 2018, Heiduk et al. 2015, 2016, 2017, 2023, 2025). In this regard, it would be interesting to determine pollinators and assess possible differences in scent chemistry between C. ornata and similar sympatric species, such as C. delicata and C. huttonii, to understand how species integrity is maintained between them.	en	Martínez-Azorín, Mario, Dold, Anthony P., Powell, Michael John (2025): Ceropegia ornata (Asclepiadoideae, Ceropegieae) a new species from Eastern Cape, South Africa. Phytotaxa 731 (2): 159-168, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6
F3417A1C8F2DFFE3FF29F8A75C8AF04C.taxon	distribution	Distribution: — The new species is only known from the type locality (Fig. 4 a) and only few plants were found in about 5 square meters. Further studies are necessary to evaluate its distribution range and possible threats.	en	Martínez-Azorín, Mario, Dold, Anthony P., Powell, Michael John (2025): Ceropegia ornata (Asclepiadoideae, Ceropegieae) a new species from Eastern Cape, South Africa. Phytotaxa 731 (2): 159-168, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6
F3417A1C8F2DFFE3FF29F8A75C8AF04C.taxon	discussion	Discussion: — Ceropegia ornata seems to be morphologically closest to C. delicata, but the new species differs in several characters listed in Table 1. The most evident differences are the corolla lobes greenish with irregular purple speckling, and distal third abruptly yellow, without speckles; the smaller corona with outer margins ending in 2 rounded lobes with a tuft of white trichomes at the inner base of each nectar cup and the wingless corpusculum. The new species may also be allied to the sympatric Ceropegia huttonii which differs from C. ornata in being a taller plant, with longer, non-twisted leaves that are not fleshy, with much longer pedicles up to 15 mm; the wider and white to yellow corona with much longer outer lobes that are basally connate to form an erect tube ending in 5 bilobed segments, among other characters (Table 1, Fig. 5). Ceropegia delicata and C. huttonii are nested within Sect. Chamaesiphon Huber (1957: 34) that includes 115 morphologically similar and widely distributed species (Bruyns et al. 2017). Molecular studies are necessary to reveal the evolutionary relationships of the new species.	en	Martínez-Azorín, Mario, Dold, Anthony P., Powell, Michael John (2025): Ceropegia ornata (Asclepiadoideae, Ceropegieae) a new species from Eastern Cape, South Africa. Phytotaxa 731 (2): 159-168, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6
F3417A1C8F29FFE3FF1CF92C5B41F60F.taxon	materials_examined	SOUTH AFRICA. Eastern Cape: Grahamstown (3326): Grahamstown, Wylie’s Dairy (– BC), 630 m elevation, recently burnt open grassland, 17 October 1998 (in flower), D. Weeks & T. Dold 956 (GRA!); Grahamstown (3326): Grahamstown, Wylie’s Dairy (– BC), 630 m elevation, open grassland, December 1999 (in flower), T. Dold 4373 (GRA!); Peddie (3327): Dundas Farm (– AC), 293 m elevation, rare in open rocky grassland, January 2002 (in flower), T. Dold & M. Cocks 4465 (GRA!).	en	Martínez-Azorín, Mario, Dold, Anthony P., Powell, Michael John (2025): Ceropegia ornata (Asclepiadoideae, Ceropegieae) a new species from Eastern Cape, South Africa. Phytotaxa 731 (2): 159-168, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6
F3417A1C8F29FFE3FF1CF8915EA4F90B.taxon	materials_examined	SOUTH AFRICA. Eastern Cape: Grahamstown (3326): Springvale Farm near Alicedale (– AC), 530 m elevation, 2 March 2009 (in flower), W. Vos 1134 (GRA!). Grahamstown (3326): Ecca Pass Wildflower Reserve (– BA), 550 m elevation, 12 January 1998 (in flower), D. Weeks 540 (GRA!); Grahamstown (3326): Ecca Pass (– BA), 530 m elevation, open rocky grassland near Baine Plinth on northern side, December 1999 (in flower), T. Dold 4374 (GRA!); Grahamstown (3326): Ecca Pass (– BA), 548 m elevation, karroid, 4 January 1969 (in flower), R. D. A. Bayliss 4404 (GRA!); Peddie (3327): Cornfields, Chalumna (– BA), 80 m elevation, 20 October 2001 (in flower), D. Cumming 9756 (GRA!).	en	Martínez-Azorín, Mario, Dold, Anthony P., Powell, Michael John (2025): Ceropegia ornata (Asclepiadoideae, Ceropegieae) a new species from Eastern Cape, South Africa. Phytotaxa 731 (2): 159-168, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.731.2.6
