Restricted plant view
Hoodia gordonii (Masson) Sweet ex Decne.
| Hoodia gordonii is an erect, leafless, spiny succulent with several greyish-green stems. The stems are covered with short, single, spines with bulbous, partly fused bases. Under ideal conditions the neat-looking plant can attain a height of up to 1 metre. Mature plants can have as many as 50 individual branched stems and weigh as much as 30 kg. Flowers are borne on or near the terminal apex. The flowers are large and have a carrion-like smell. Flowers, usually pale pinkish brown, may vary in colour from pale straw to dark maroon. Flowers can reach a diameter of 50 - 100 mm. The seed capsules resemble small antelope or goat horns hence the Afrikaans common name of bokhorings. |
References: 1 Hoodia gordonii (Masson) Sweet ex Decne. (2005). South African National Biodiversity Institute. 2 Van Wyk, B-E. and Gericke, N. (2007). People’s plants: a guide to useful plants of southern Africa. Briza, Pretoria. |