Compilation
Cotyledon virescens

A succulent undershrub, up to 1 m. tall. Stem and old branches thick, leafless, with a pale, wrinkled bark, marked above with the scars of fallen leaves, glabrous towards the base, pubescent above. Leaves of the current year condensed for 2–9·5 cm. below the peduncles, subopposite–decussate, usually all erect or sometimes the upper ones only so or sometimes all reflexed or the under ones only so, 3–10 x 1·7–7 cm. and obovate to obovate–acuminate or 6–10·5 x 1·8–2·5 cm. and obovate– to spathulate–cuneate, or oblong–linear up to 7 x 0·8 cm., rounded or truncate at the apex and with or without a short mucro, or shortly acuminate and acute, entire, sometimes margined with red, contracted or narrowing into a ± long subpetiole–base, not amplexicaul, fleshy, concave or channelled above, convex beneath or the narrowest ones subterete–channelled (but all ± flattish, ± rigid and not very thick on drying), densely and shortly glandular–pubescent (hairs whitish, patent, without a distinct glandular head). Inflorescences cymose, not dense, up to 15 cm. in diameter; peduncle 14–35 cm. long, terete, 5–7 mm. in diameter at the base without or with 1 or more bracts, reddish and densely glandular–pubescent at the base, sparsely so upwards, subglabrous and whitish below the inflorescence; pedicels 1·2–4·5 cm. long, rather thickened–obconical towards the apex, glabrous, whitish–bloomed or mealy like the calyx, the longest ones arched. Flowers ± 3·5 cm. long, usually pendulous, glabrous except inside for the corolla–tube at the insertion of filaments. Calyx 4–5 mm. long; tube 0·5–0·75 mm. long, truncate and circumscissile (with corolla–tube) below; sepals deltate, attenuate or contracted into a narrow, acute apex, separated at the base by broad and rounded sinuses. Corolla salmon, pinkish or orange–yellow; tube 1·5–2 cm. long and 6–10 mm. in diameter at the base, 6–8 mm. in diameter at the mouth, cylindrical or subcylindrical (neither angulate nor contracted above the carpels), sometimes narrowing slightly upwards; corolla–lobes 15–17 x 5–7 mm., oblong or lanceolate, acute, finally reflexed. Stamens exserted, but not attaining the apex of corolla–lobes; filaments 18–25 mm. long, dilatate below, inserted 4–5 mm. distant from the bottom of the corolla–tube, with a tuft of dense, long, white hairs at the base; anthers ovate, c. 2 mm. long or oblong, 3–4 mm. long (sometimes short and long anthers in the same inflorescence or in the same flower), yellow. Follicles c. 20 mm. long, narrowly fusiform; styles ±15 mm. long, exserted; stigmas not attaining the anthers. Scales broader than long, semicircular, slightly emarginate, flat.