Hoodia currorii

(hook.) Decne

Hoodia cactus

Apocynaceae Edible: Stems, Pods, Fruit, Flowers, Vegetable 220 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Hoodia currorii is a succulent plant native to Namibia and the Cape Province of South Africa. It grows in desert areas and is common along the road from Karibib to Swakopmund in Namibia. It is also known as ghaap in the vernacular.

Description

A spiny succulent shrub. It grows 1 m tall. The branching stems and erect or spreading. The stem is cylinder shaped and 4-8 cm across. They are grey-green. There are 11-24 ribs along the stems. Each one has a sharp spine 6-10 mm long. The flowers are in groups of 1-4 near the top of the stem. They are pale red outside and deep red inside the tubes. The fruit are a pair of long horn like dry fruit. Each one is 15-22 cm long. They contain 100-250 seeds. The seeds have a tuft of hairs. There are a couple of subspecies.

Edible Uses

Stems are broken or cut off, rubbed on a stone to remove the spines, cut into strips and these strips are eaten. They have a peculiar pervasively spreading sweet taste which is remarkably persistent and is said to quench thirst and hunger for extended periods. They also make a tasty preserve. Stems that have swelled after recent rains are preferred. Sometimes they are taken home to be soaked in water before being eaten. It is also said that after eating, an interesting liquorice-like aftertaste remains in the mouth which gives tobacco smoke a particularly pleasant taste. Young pods are much sought after for their sweetness.

Traditional Uses

It acts as an appetite suppressant and thirst quencher. Pieces of the stem are added to sugar water to make a refreshing drink. The stems have the skin and thorns removed and the stem are then eaten. They contain more water after rain. The flowers are sometimes eaten.

Medicinal Uses

Hoodia plants have been eaten by African tribesmen for thousands of years as a means of staving off hunger and thirst on long hunting trips. The active principle in the plant responsible for this appetite-suppressing effect has been identified and is now used as the basis of a slimming drug. The plant is also used traditionally to treat indigestion, hypertension, diabetes, haemorrhoids and stomachaches.

Distribution

It is a tropical and subtropical plant. It grows in deserts. In southern Africa it grows between 50-1,400 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown by seed. They can also be grown by cuttings.

Propagation

Seed - Cuttings taken from the base of a branch.

Other Information

The flowers are eaten especially by children.

Notes

There are 13 Hoodia species. It is also put in the family Asclepiadaceae.

Synonyms

Hoodia lugardii N. E. Br.Hoodia macrantha DinterHoodia gibbosa NelHoodia montana Nel.Adenium namaquarium Hensl.Scytanthus burkei Hook.

Also Known As

Ghaap, Khobab

References (9)

Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 329
Jansen, P.C.M., 2004. Hoodia currorii (Hook.) Decne. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 16 October 2009.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 30th March 2011]
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 24
Sullivan, S., 1998, People plants and practice in drylands: Socio-political and ecological dimensions of resource-use by Damara farmers in north-west Namibia. Ph.D. Univ. College London.

Show all 9 references

Van Damme, P et al, 1922, Plant Uses by the Topnaar of the Kuiseb Valley Namib Desert. Afrika Focus Vol. 8(3-4):223-252
van Wyk, Be., & Gericke, N., 2007, People's plants. A Guide to Useful Plants of Southern Africa. Briza. p 70
Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew