Ceropegia gordonii (Ceropegia gordonii)
Description
Hoodia gordonii,also known as Bushman's hat,is a leafless spiny succulent plant supposed to have therapeutic properties in folk medicine.It grows naturally in Botswana,South Africa and Namibia.The species became internationally known and threatened by collectors,after a marketing campaign falsely claimed that it was an appetite suppressant for weight loss.The flowers smell like rotten meat and are pollinated mainly by flies.The indigenous San people (Bushmen) of the Namib desert call this plant ?hoba (pronounced [k???b?] ? the initial sound is a lateral click) ? and the Afrikaans name ghaap is used to refer to all species of Hoodia.Hoodia gordonii was discovered and painted by Col.Robert Jacob Gordon in the vicinity of the Orange River in about 1779,and identified as a Stapelia,a closely related genus.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Gentianales
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Family: Apocynaceae
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Genus: Ceropegia
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