Matelea cyclophylla is a rare and unusual deciduous Mexican caudiciform vining asclepiad cultivated mostly for its caudex to 15 cm across resembling that of a diminutive Dioscorea macrostachya (also from Mexico) or Dioscorea elephantipes (from S. Africa) covered with angular soft, corky tubercles. But the vining growth that arises from the caudex during the rainy season and shortly after, looks more like a pubescent green-bean plant. The flowers are approx 2.5 cm in diameter burgundy coloured and, as many other asclepiads that use flies as pollinators, smelling like carrion. Pure green flowering plants are not unusual in cultivation. They come in summer. If they are pollinated they produced horn-like seed pod ( follicles) that open up and disperse the seeds