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Hydnora abyssinica
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Photo: Cathy Sharp
Nr Mvuma
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| Synonyms: |
Hydnora africana sensu Eyles Hydnora johannis Becc. Hydnora solmsiana Dinter |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | Local |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
A subterranean root parasite, lacking chlorophyll. The plant body is rhizome-like, leaves are absent. The flowers are solitary, appearing above ground as a tube with the fleshy calyx lobes meeting. They soon separate, revealing the red and white cross structure in the photo. The flowers are foul smelling and visited by beetles. The fruits are brown and subterranean. |
| Notes: | The fruits are sweet tasting and eaten by animals and people. The roots are used as a medicine for diarrhoea and to stop haemorrhaging. The species mostly parasitises Acacia spp. Plants may be more common than recorded, as they are only visible when flowering. |
| Derivation of specific name: | abyssinica: of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) |
| Habitat: | In woodland |
| Altitude range: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | Nov - Dec |
| Worldwide distribution: | Gabon, Central African Republic, DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini and Northern Provinces South Africa. Also Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. |
| Zimbabwe distribution: | W,C |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Lebrun, J. (1948). Hydnoraceae Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi Volume I Page 393. as Hydnora johannis Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 54. Musselman, L.J. (1997). Hydnoraceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(2) Pages 17 - 18. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 77. as Hydnora africana and Hydnora johannis Troupin, G. (1978). Hydnoraceae Flore du Rwanda Spermatophytes Volume I Pages 289 - 290. as Hydnora johannis (Includes a picture). |
Other sources of information about Hydnora abyssinica:
Our websites:
Flora of Botswana: Hydnora abyssinicaFlora of the DRC: Hydnora abyssinica
Flora of Rwanda: Hydnora abyssinica
External websites:
African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Hydnora abyssinicaBHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Hydnora abyssinica
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Hydnora abyssinica
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Hydnora abyssinica
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Hydnora abyssinica
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Hydnora abyssinica
JSTOR Plant Science: Hydnora abyssinica
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Hydnora abyssinica
Plants of the World Online: Hydnora abyssinica
Tropicos: Hydnora abyssinica
Wikipedia: Hydnora abyssinica
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