Publication: Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1895: 248 1895
Description
R. angolensis is a small growing caudiciform plant with short herbaceos vining shoots from the underground tuber.
Tuber (caudex): Almost spherical to turnip shaped up to 20 cm in diameter, almost always unbranched; bark reddish-brown.
Stems (vines): Few, deciduous erect to recumbent, shrubby up to 60 cm long (usually less), pubescent, somewhat viscid, with swollen nodes, basally woody with herbaceous new growth.
Leaves: In well-spaced pairs; grey-green, somewhat viscid, sub-succulent, elliptic 2,5 -7 long and 1,3-4,5 cm in width, tapering equally to both ends; petiole 5-15 mm long; margins very finely ciliate.
Inflorescences: Terminal 3,8-5 cm wide on short stout stalk, many-flowered;
Flower: Star-shaped greenish/red-brown.
Blooming season: Summer.
Fruit: Tomentose hairy.
Remarks: The species is very closely related to Raphionacme procumbens with which it may actually be conspecific.
Origin and Habitat
As the name implies the species is found principally in Angola, but also in neighbouring Tanzania.
Cultivation and Propagation
In cultivation the plants are usually grown in semi shade, with the tubers wholly or (preferably) partially exposed to prevent scorching and rotting of the roots. This plant can take a good deal of water during active growth and should be watered only when not dormant. Keep dryish in winter. It should be overwintered in the greenhouse at temperatures over 12°C (avoid letting temperatures drop lower than 5° C). Use a very draining but rich soil. An error in cultivation may produce unsightly holes in the tuber.
Reproduction: Can be reproduced by seeds.
Bibliography
Major references and further lectures
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Urs Eggli “Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Dicotyledons” Springer Science & Business Media, 2002
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Werner Rauh “The Wonderful World of Succulents: Cultivation and Description of Selected Succulent Plants Other Than Cacti” Smithsonian Institution Press, 1984
3)James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
