Hoodia

A spiny Karoo succulent the San used to stave off hunger and thirst on hunting trips – it later caught the eye of pharmaceutical companies.

Hoodia gordonii is a leafless succulent of the dogbane family, forming clumps of grey-green, angular, spiny stems up to about 1 m tall. In spring it produces large, flat, saucer-shaped flowers in flesh-coloured or pinkish-brown hues, which smell of rotting meat and are pollinated by flies. It grows very slowly in extremely dry, stony places. The bitter flesh of the stems was traditionally eaten raw, and in the 20th century the glycosides it contains were studied as a potential appetite suppressant.

Significance in the country

For generations the San have chewed hoodia stems to survive long treks across the desert. When South Africa’s scientific research council, the CSIR, patented one of its compounds, a pioneering benefit-sharing agreement was concluded with the San, and harvesting wild plants in South Africa now requires a permit.

Where it grows

The dry, stony plains and slopes of the Karoo and Namaqualand in the Northern Cape and in the northern part of the Western Cape.

More: Wikipedia (en)