Hoodia triebneri
Plant Family
Apocynacae (Formerly Asclepiadaceae), Subfamily Asclepiadoideae
Accepted Binomial Name
Hoodia triebneri (Nel) Bruyns
Synonymous Binomial Names (Kew 2019l)
Ceropegia triebneri (Nel) Bruyns
Hoodia foetida Plowes
Hoodia triebneri Schuldt
Trichocaulon triebneri Nel
Common (Vernacular) Names
None reported.
Subspecies
No subspecies have been identified.
Plant Characteristics
Endemicity. This species occurs scattered along the Swakop river from west of Okahandja to near Otjimbingwe and Karibib, Namibia (Craven 2004, Bruyns 2006a). The population is severely fragmented.
Growth Habit. The plant form is unusual forming dense clumps of erect stems that are slightly broader than tall (Bruyns 2006a). They grow in gravelly flats and rocky areas at the bases of low mountain ridges and underneath Acacia trees.
Flowers. The flowers are small (11-15mm in diameter), dark red or maroon to nearly black . The insides surfaces are densely covered with papillae. The flowers appear in in dense clusters on the stems and emit a very strong fetid odor.
Fruit and Seeds. As typical of the genus. The fruiting body consists of two horn-like, slender, erect follicles. On ripening the follicles split releasing the seeds. As they are released a tuft of filament-like pappi opens and the seeds are disbursed by air currents.
Conservation Status
No Hoodia species are currently listed as endangered. Increased awareness and market value of H. gordonii for use in appetite suppressants may have increased mortality associated with unsustainable harvesting of wild plants and this practice could possibly threaten other species of Hoodia. Commercial trade for this purpose was increasing. In addition to increased harvesting, Hoodia is also threatened by habitat degradation from agriculture and development (FWS 2019c).
CITES Listing: This and all other species of Hoodia, are listed on Appendix II of CITES. Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival (CITES 2019a). This listing includes all parts and derivatives except those bearing a label:
“Produced from Hoodia spp. material obtained through controlled harvesting and production under the terms of an agreement with the relevant CITES Management Authority of [Botswana under agreement No. BW/xxxxxx] [Namibia under agreement No. NA/xxxxxx] [South Africa under agreement No. ZA/xxxxxx].” (CITES 2019b).
Hybrids of Hoodia species with other species are subject to these requirements (Shippmann 2016). Hoodia seeds are also regulated by CITES (Harcum 2019), contrary to the information posted on the FWS website (USFWS 2019).
IUCN Listing: This species was last assessed on April 30, 2004. The population trend was determined to be stable but with a continuing decline of mature individuals. The species was listed as of Least Concern (Craven 2004).
U.S. Endangered Species Act Listing Status: This taxon not listed (FWS 2018).
Uses
No records of specific uses of this plant were found.
Cultivation
Some plants of this species have been grown for use as ornamentals but no plantings for production of it as a crop have been reported.
Propagation Methods
Seeds. Hoodia are easily propagated from seeds.
Cuttings: Hoodia can be propagated from cuttings but we do not recommend the practice as it is much more difficult than production of true cactus (plants in the family cactaceae) from cuttings. Hoodia cuttings are highly subject to rot and we have been unable to get some species and varieties to root. Sometimes a callus forms over the cutting wound and this must be excised to allow root growth. Typically, the majority of cuttings fail to survive and root. Plants grown from cuttings have fewer roots, less vigor, and unstable form, often with few stems from the base and top heavy branching from the main stem.
Improved Cultivars
No improved cultivars of this species are known to us.
Pests and Diseases
Refer to the sections of this website on diseases and pests of Hoodia.
Invasiveness Potential
There are no references indicating that this species is invasive:
Global Invasive Species Database. This species was not found on the database (ISSG 2019).
Hawai‘i-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment (HPWRA). No assessment of this species was found on the HWPRA database (HWPRA 2019a). Several other Hoodia species were assessed and found to present low risk.
Plants and Seeds for Sale
Plants and seeds of this species are scarce. We do not have them in our inventory and it is unlikely that they will be available soon.
References
Bruyns PV. 2006a. Chapter 4. Hoodia. In: Stapeliads of Southern Africa and Madagascar, Vol. I Hatfield, South Africa: Umdaus Press., 92-129.
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). 2019a. Appendices I, II, and III valid from 4 October 2017. https://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php [accessed 28 October 2019].
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). 2019b. Appendices I, II, and III valid from 4 October 2017. Annotation #9. https://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php [accessed 28 October 2019].
Craven P. 2004c. Hoodia triebneri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004: e.T46822A11083812. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/46822/11083812 [Accessed on 28 October 2019].
FWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). 2019. Endangered Species Home. Search Endangered Species Database. https://www.fws.gov/endangered/ [accessed 27 October 2019].
GISD (Global Invasive Species Database) 2018. http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/search.php [Accessed 15 November 2019].
Harcum H. 2019. E-mail communication, July 3, 2019 from Heather Harcum, Permits Biologist, International Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Falls Church, Virginia.
HPWRA (Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment). 2019 Hoodia triebneri. https://sites.google.com/site/weedriskassessment/home [Accessed 29 October 2019].
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). 2019. Version 2019-2. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. http://www.iucnredlist.org/search [accessed 27 October 2019].
Kew (Kew Royal Botanic Gardens). 2019l. Planta of the World Online. Hoodia triebneri (Nel) Bruyns. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:972990-1 [Accessed 17 November 2019].
NBRI (National Botanical Research Institute). Undated. Hoodia in Nambia. http://www.nbri.org.na/sites/default/files/Hoodia_booklet.pdf [accessed 29 October 2019].
Schippmann U. 2016. Plant Annotations in the CITES Appendices – Implementation Manual – Version 1.0. Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN) Federal Agency for Nature Conservation Konstantinstrasse 110, 53179 Bonn, Germany. https://cites.org/sites/default/files/ndf_material/Schippmann_Manual_of_Annotations_V1_2016.pdf [accessed 21 July 2019].
Page last updated January 30, 2022.