Tromotriche Haworth
From the Greek 'tromos'; trembling, and 'trichos'; hair, for the vibratile corolla hairs. The genus is found in southern Namibia and the western provinces of South Africa. The genus is closely related to both Tridentea and Stapelia with which it forms natural hybrids, and is divided into two Sections; a) section Tromotriche; Stems pendant, creeping or rhizomatous. b) section Caruncularia; Stems more or less clustered and erect, only occasionally creeping.
Tromotriche choanantha
From the Little Karoo area of the Western Cape, this species with its pendant stems and flowers is normally found growing from rock formations. The flowers are small, the bell being barely 2cm deep and 1cm in diameter. The plant pictured is from the Gamka Gorge SW of Calitzdorp.
Another rock loving species found in the western region of the Eastern Cape Province, this species has narrow roughened pendent stems.
From southern Namibia and the Northern Cape Province, this species with clustering stems is closely related to T. pedunculata and T. ruschiana.
For many years this popular species from the Western Cape Province was well known as Stapelia revoluta. It is now included in Tromotriche and is closely related to T. thudichumii. The latest revision has sunk Tromotriche revoluta var. tigrida into Tromotriche revoluta however I feel that it is significantly different and in my collection maintain it as a separate species. The tigrida shown here is ISI928 collected in the Karoo north of the Olifants River, Clanwilliam Dist. SA
Tromotriche can make attractive hybrids with other genera, as the greenhouse cross shown here between T. revoluta and Orbea woodii from KwaZulu Natal illustrates.
From southern Namibia and the Northern Cape Province this species is named after the Umdaus area of the Richtersveld. Clone 2 is from the Bleskop Mine area, off the N7 Road, S. of Vioolsdrif, Richtersveldt, whilst Clone 3 is from Aribes Farm, 25km North of Steinkopf.
Tylophora R.Brown
From the Greek 'tylo'; knob, and phoros; carrying, for the characteristic floral structure. A genus of around 300 species of perennial climbing asclepiads in the subfamily Tylophorinae.
Tylophora cordata
From southern Africa, this small flowered species was grown from seed from Silverhill Seeds
Grown from a seed packet originally purchased as Riocreuxia torulosa, it became very obvious when the plant flowered that something was amiss as the flowers are clearly not those of the Ceropegia like genus Riocreuxia. I am very much indebted to Ulrich Meve for his help in identifying my mystery plant as Tylophora inhambanensis from the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa.
Vadulia Plowes
In 2003 Darrel Plowes revised the genus Pectinaria and based on the differences in flower structure, transferred two species from that genus; Pectinaria longipes and Pectinaria maughanii into this newly erected genus, which takes its name from an anagram of Duvalia.
Vadulia longipes
Named for its long flower pedicels this species is found in the Sutherland District of the Northern Cape Province.
A species with a small distribution which is only found only in the Vanrhynsdorp District of the Western Cape Province. It has more procumbent to ascending stems than the Pectinaria species, and the flower structure differs significantly.
White-sloanea crassa (N.E.Br.) Chiov.
Described
in 1937 and named after Alain C. White and Boyd L. Sloane, two American authors
of important books on euphorbias and asclepiads. This monotypic genus with
a compact four ribbed single erect stem, is to be found only in Somalia. Until
recently it was thought to be extinct but now seedling plants are available,
which need to be kept warm all year round and which will flower at a
young age.