Family: Apocynaceae Juss.
Distribution: Endemic species of the Canary Islands, occurs on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
Ecology: It grows on dry rocks, mostly on the lava fields, from the coast to elevations of 600 m. It blooms from February to April.
Description: Perennial succulent plant to 75 cm tall, with erect or sprawling, fleshy, cylindrical, brownish-grey or greyish-white stems. Leaves deciduous, opposite, narrow, up to 5 cm long; flowers are clustered in small groups of 2–20, corolla 2–3 cm long, with a slender tube, much longer than lobes, reddish-brown. The fruit is capsular and comprises 2 follicles over 10 cm long.
Use: It is sometimes grown as a garden curiosity. The juice is used externally to heal wounds.
Note: The genus Ceropegia contains about 170 species mostly from Africa, tropical Asia and Oceania.
These images were taken in Spain, the Canary Islands, Tenerife, Malpaís de Güimar (April 1, 2006).
