Ceropegias (L.) belongs to the asclepiad family.  The genus contains over one hundred and fifty species.   The genus contains climbing or erect plants with swollen tubers or fusiform roots.   These plants are shade-lovers and need a bit of warmth to thrive and flower for an extended period of time.

Flowers have a lantern like shape.  The calyx has five sepals, the five petals of the corolla are fused to form a tube, the flowers is nearly spherical at the base.  The tips of the lobes are unite to form lantern-like shape.   The unique shape of these flower allow only certain pollinators access to the pollinia which can be found right at the bottom of the long corolla tube.   After the flower has been succesfully pollinated, twin seed-horns appear.   Seeds are usually dark brown, oval in shape and have tufts of "hair" at the top of the seed for wind distribution.

The plants are distributed throughout central and southern Africa, the Canary Islands, India and Madeira.