Angola: Northern Namibe – Hoodia Currori

And now for the by far the most bizarre plant we found in the Namibe in Angola – Goodia Currori.  It looks like a cactus, but it isn’t, it has a very narrow range endemic to Angola (although a similar species in common in Namibia). It’s very slow growing, taking years to mature and bloom – but when blooming it looks totally otherworldly – massive red-to-burgundy flowers and visually striking and huge at up to 3 inches/10cm in diameter! The flowers smell like rotten meat (although not too strong) and are pollinated by flies – The scent and appearance of the flowers mimic carrion to trick flies into laying eggs, ensuring pollination—an adaptation known as sapromyiophily. The plant stores water in its thick, juicy stems, and can go for months and even years without rains. Finally, the stems are edible and local people have been using them for years as appetite suppressant. A research on another Hoodia species did prove that there are certain steroidal compounds that act as appetite suppressants (this caused a massive run to collect the similar plant in South Africa and Namibia). At least here in Anglian the plant is quite protected in its remote habitats full of unexploded mines from the civil war.