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Hoodia gordonii (Masson) Sweet ex Decne.


Plant Family

Apocynacae (Formerly Asclepiadaceae), Subfamily Asclepiadoideae

Accepted Binomial Name

Hoodia gordonii (Masson) Sweet ex Decne.

Synonymous Binomial Names (Kew 2019e)

  • Ceropegia gordonii (Masson) Bruyns
  • Hoodia albispina N.E.Br.
  • Hoodia bainii Dyer
  • Hoodia barklyi Dyer
  • Hoodia burkei N.E.Br.
  • Hoodia husabensis Nel
  • Hoodia langii Oberm. & Letty
  • Hoodia longispina Plowes
  • Hoodia pillansii N.E.Br.
  • Hoodia rosea Oberm. & Letty
  • Hoodia whitesloaneana Dinter ex A.C.White & B.Sloane
  • Monothylaceum gordonii (Masson) G.Don
  • Scytanthus gordonii (Masson) Hook.
  • Stapelia gordonii Masson

Common (Vernacular) Names

Bitter ghaap (Eng.); bitterghaap, muishondghaap, wolweghaap, bobbejaanghaap, bergghaap, bokhorings (Afr.); khobab (Khoi) [SANBI 2019c]; hoodia cactus, diet cactus

Subspecies

No subspecies have been officially named.

 

Plant Characteristics


Endemicity.  This species is widely distributed in southwest Africa, found from the Brandberg in Namibia southward into the Northern and Western Cape where it is scattered over much of the Great Karoo. It avoids areas where rains occur in the winter and grows in a wide variety of habitats ranging from rocky mountainous areas to the deep sandy riverbeds of the Kalahari Desert. It is sometimes found in extensive colonies and in areas where there is little other vegetation (Bruyns 2005a).   It is used to extreme heat (above 40°C), but it can survive in relatively low temperatures (-3°C) (SANBI 2005, Swart 2008).  According to current records, the natural distribution range of H. gordonii in South Africa is now only in the Northern Cape province (SANBI 2019d).  Hoodia gordonii does not occur in Botswana (SANBI 2019d).

Growth Habit.  The spiny, cactus-like form of Hoodia gordonii is typical of the genus.  It grows in large clumps of generally upright stems reaching a maximum height of about 75 cm tall and lacks conventional leaves.

Apical stem bud of Hoodia gordonia

Apical Stem Bud of Hoodia gordonii
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC
Use licensed per CC BY-SA

Several months old seedling of Hoodia gordonii

Seedling of Hoodia gordonii Several Months Old
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC
Use licensed per https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Hoodia gordonii plant in pot

Hoodia gordonii as a Potted Plant
Grown Indoors at Frederick, Maryland
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC
Use licensed per https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

 

Flowers.  Flowers of this species are highly variable  in size, color- from white to maroon, and shape ranging from more or less circular to clearly five-lobed.  They can reach a diameter of about 10 cm and at times the blooms may be so abundant that they totally cover and obscure the plant.  During periods of high temperatures the flowers emit a strong, carrion-like odor and attract the primary pollinators, which are flies.  (Pollination by flies is referred to as myophily).  We have an extensive collection of photos of pollination processes that will be published later on this website.

 

White flowered Hoodia gordonii

White Flowered Hoodia gordonii
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC
Use licensed per CC BY-SA

 

Hoodia gordonii hybrid in bloom

Hoodia gordonii Hybrid in Bloom
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC

 

The flower anatomy is important for identification of Hoodia species.  Below are macro photographs of three plants identified by suppliers as Hoodia gordonii and the anatomy is typical of the species.  See illustrations in Bruyns (2005).  These plants were obtained from outside sources, not from our breeding program where hybridization between species may occur.

 

Macro photo of Flower Center of Hoodia gordonii, Example 1

Flower Center of Hoodia gordonii, Example 1
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC
Use licensed per CC BY-SA

Macro photo of the flower center of Hoodia gordonii, example 2

Flower Center of Hoodia gordonii, Example 2
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC
Use licensed per CC BY-SA

Macro photo of the flower center of Hoodia gordonii, Example 3

Flower Center of Hoodia gordonii, Example 3
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC
Use licensed per CC BY-SA

 

 

Pods and Seeds.  The fruiting body consists of two horn-like, slender, erect follicles.  The Afrikaans common name for these of bokhorings was given because the seed capsules resemble small antelope or goat horns (SANBI 2019b).  The flat, brown seeds are intricately and densely packed in a tapered cylindrical arrangement inside the follicle.  On ripening the follicles split open releasing the seeds.  As they are released a tuft of filaments (a pappus) opens similar to a parachute and this helps to disburse the seeds by air currents.  The seeds usually germinate and start life under nurse plants that provide shade for the tender seedlings.  Later, the plants may outgrow their nurse plants into the open spaces.

 

Unripe seed follicles of Hoodia gordonii

Unripe Seed Follicles of Hoodia gordonii
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC
Use licensed per CC BY-SA

Seeds being released from follicle of Hoodia gordonii

Seed Release from a Follicle of Hoodia gordonii
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC
Use licensed per CC BY-SA

Hoodia gordonii seed with pappus attached

Hoodia gordonii Seed with Pappus Attached
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC
Use licensed per https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

 

In humid conditions, such as we typically have here in Hawaii seeds that are not released from the ripe follicles may germinate in place as shown in this close up photograph.

Hoodia gordonii Seeds Germinating in Follicle

Hoodia gordonii Unreleased Seeds Germinating in Follicle
Photo © Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources, LLC
Use licensed per CC BY-SA

 

 

Conservation Status


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 again threaten it and other species of Hoodia if the high demand for use in dietary supplements returns.  Commercial trade for this purpose was rapidly increasing. By 2004 concerns about the threats posed to natural populations through unregulated collection led to the inclusion of Hoodia spp. in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Flora (CITES) [(CITES, 2004 and CBD Undated). By 2006 legal and illegal trade in plant materials for use in dietary supplements had escalated exponentially from just a few tons to more than 600 tons of wet, harvested material per year.

In addition to unsustainable harvesting practices, 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 to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival (CITES 2019a).  This listing includes all parts and derivatives of the plants 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:  No assessments of the conservation status of Hoodia gordonii were found on  International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threated Species (IUCN 2019).

U.S. Endangered Species Act Listing Status: This taxon not listed (FWS 2018).

African Countries.  In Namibia and the Cape provinces of South Africa Hoodia gordonii is a protected species and various permits may be required for collecting, cultivation, exports and other activities involving this species (SANBI 2019d).

 

Uses


Hoodia gordonii is one of the most sought after succulents due to its medicinal properties. It has been called one of the wonder plants of the twenty-first century (SANBI 2019c).

Traditional Food and Medicinal Uses.  Hoodia has been long used to stave off hunger and thirst by the indigenous San peoples, the oldest human inhabitants in Africa (White and Sloane, 1937).  Today Hoodia still remains a popular plant with people in southern and western Namibia, as food and to treat conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes (NBRI No date).

Appetite Suppressant.   Knowledge of the appetite suppressing properties of Hoodia gordonii in the Western world was very limited until the late 1990s when the first research results were published confirming these properties.  This information promoted rapid commercial development and Hoodia became of the most widely consumed anti-obesity products of natural origin (Vermaak, Hamman and Viljoen (2011).  The history of this development is fascinating and involved many controversial aspects.  Refer to the case study by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD Undated) based on the publications of Wynberg (2004, 2006, 2008) and the review by Vermaak, Hamman and Viljoen (2011) for information on this history.

Other Medical Uses.   Some research on other potential medical uses of this plant is in progress.  Patents have been filed on the anti-diabetic activity of Hoodia and for its use in the treatment of gastric acid secretion damage (Kew 2019).

Ornamental Plant.  This and other species of Hoodia make attractive and unusual ornamental plants for tropical arid gardens, or as greenhouse subjects in temperate countries (Kew 2019).

 

Cultivation


Cultivation trials were underway in South Africa (under the auspices of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and on a small scale in Namibia (National Botanical Research Institute). Only a small quantity of material was harvested from these (SANBI 2019c). Several years ago, the Xerics Group began a business known as Hoodia Ranch on the Gran Canaria, a Spanish island located off the Atlantic Coast of Northwestern Africa intending to grow Hoodia.  While the website remains active (Hoodia Ranch 2019) the entity appears to be defunct.

In the United States several small growing operations were started and the largest of these were in southern California.  It is unclear if they are still operational.  We began to grow small quantities of Hoodia for our research and development projects in a greenhouse at our facility in Frederick, Maryland in 2004 and closed out this operation with our move to Hawaii in 2013.

Hoodia gordonii can, under ideal conditions, live for 25 years in cultivation. In the wild the plants probably don’t live much longer than 15 years (SANBI 2019c).

Propagation Methods

Seeds.  Hoodia gordonii is easily propagated from fresh seeds.  Seeds that have been improperly stored, especially under humid conditions, rapidly loose viability.  Growing instructions will be published in future versions of this website section.

Cuttings:  Hoodia can be propagated from cuttings but we do not recommend this practice for routine use 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 ever form calluses and root.  Generally, cuttings will dry out and wither before calluses can form so the ends have to be kept in moist media, which promotes rot and fungus.  Sometimes thick calluses form over the cutting wounds and these 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 an unstable form, often with few stems from the base and top heavy branching from the main stem.

We have produced many plants from cuttings for our research, to save plants affected by root rot and for potential use in filing varietal permits.  Cuttings of some cultivars of this species can be rooted, while others have never been rooted.  Compared with most of the other Hoodia species, H. gordonii has had a higher rooting success rate.

Improved Cultivars

We have developed several diploid and tetraploid cultivars with improved disease resistance and characteristics for artificial cultivation and handling.  Provisional information on these is now available:

General Cultivar Information

Diploid Cultivar HG-NC1

Other Diploid Cultivars

Tetraploid Cultivars

 

Pests and Diseases

Refer to the sections of this website on diseases and pests of Hoodia. These are currently in preparation.

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). We requested the HPWRA program to assess the invasiveness potential of Hoodia gordonii since there were no records of prior introductions in Hawaii.  HPWRA completed the assessment on April 15, 2015 and assigned it an assessment score of 0, indicating low risk (HPWRA 2019b).  Detailed assessment data is available (Chimera 2015c).  Hoodia has been designated as a Pono Plant, a good choice for planting in Hawai‘i.

 

Plants and Seeds for Sale


Improved Cultivars

We now offer plants and seeds of the improved diploid and tetraploid varieties of this species (cultivars) that we have developed.

The species name listed for these cultivars is that associated with the seed-bearing plant from which the seeds or plants were grown.  Because all of our plants are open pollinated, in most cases we cannot definitively determine of the pollinator and all of our cultivars may have hybridized with other species.

Restrictions on Use of Cultivars.  Sales and samples of plants, cuttings and seeds of this species and its cultivars are subject to our Hawaiian Hoodia™ License Agreement. All patent rights are reserved by Sustainable Bioresources, LLC.  The transfer of Improved Cultivars as defined in the agreement from the buyer to other parties, and all commercial propagation or other commercial uses of these cultivars is prohibited.

We welcome inquiries about potential arrangements for commercial licensing and/or distributorships of our Hawaiian Hoodia™ products.

Please Contact Us for additional information.

 

Organic Status.   All of the live plants of these cultivars offered for sale are Certified Naturally Grown (CNG), produced following organic farming standards of the CNG program.

Logo of the Certified Naturally Grown program

 

Availability and Ordering Information

Nursery Stock.  Live plants of this species are available for purchase from our online store.

Seeds.  Initially we will offer seeds from this species as mixtures of seeds from multiple seed lots from our online store.  Each lot consists of seeds from one follicle (two horns), produced from one pollination event and should have similar genetics.  Seeds from specific seed lots will also become available and there are usually from 100 – 400 seeds in each lot.  Please contact us if you are interested in purchasing these or more information.

Cuttings.  Currently, we do not offer cuttings of this species.  These may become available in limited quantities for local sale in 2020.

 

Shipping Information

Domestic Shipments.  Hoodia plants and cuttings from our certified nursery, and seeds can be shipped to all states and territories of the U.S except California.  We are no longer shipping plants or cuttings to California.

International Shipments.  All shipments of Hoodia plants, cuttings, seeds and materials derived from Hoodia plants to destinations outside the U.S. must comply with the requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).    These shipments will be made under the provisions of our CITES Master File number 44411D, Original Permit/Certificate number 19US52992D/9 and single use permits issued to us by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We must obtain a single use permit for each shipment, regardless of its size. There are no exceptions to this requirement.

Inspections, import permits and issuance of Phytosanitary Certificates may also be necessary, and documentation requirements vary by country.  Advance payment of fees may be required for permits, certificates, inspections and related services.  Please refer to our Terms of Use and Sale for additional information.  International customers are advised to contact us for before placing orders for any of our Hoodia products as the requirements and logistics for shipments from Hawai`i are currently unsettled.

 

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].

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 ## Month 2018].

Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment (HPWRA). #### Year Accessed.  Genus species. https://sites.google.com/site/weedriskassessment/home  [accessed 29 October 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.

Hoodia Ranch.  2019.  Hoodia Ranch, a Canarian Owned Company.  http://www.hoodiaranch.com/about.html [Accessed 7 November 2019].

HPWRA (Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment).  2019a. Assessments Last Updated 10/23/19.

https://50571601-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/weedriskassessment/assessments/All_HPWRA.pdf?attachauth=ANoY7crTXkI_9oLvCyXEzB0GeoJAzqOYpSFhkqi5WOz8xlbhwF6zy9LsOlrt4I2JKQYdI46iOlvSo4ffHIqSRAUUd4ieBuBwmIBYZmUTDnMczs2goElwdzsASy4ZIA2ffMCNknqS7OuTn0Pgc_HqcsitaNfHguzr8BlK-hFh74pH6cgIOo1fkCw12d5fuz16VsJW3nDDVXyODasptZF3DT9ZWKQSx3UIt3OIRHEFHK9xrdBfEQT7MB8%3D&attredirects=1 [accessed 25 October 2019].

HPWRA (Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment).  2019b. Hawai‘i Pacific Weed Risk Assessment Site.  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].

ISSG (Invasive Species Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission) 2019.  Global Invasive Species Database.  http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/  [accessed 25 October 2019].

Kew (Kew Royal Botanic Gardens).  2019e.  Planta of the World Online.  Hoodia gordonii (Masson) Sweet ex Decne.  http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:98342-1 [Accessed 7 November 2019].

SANBI (South African National Biodiversity Institute.  2019c.  Hoodia gordonii.  http://pza.sanbi.org/hoodia-gordonii [Accessed 07 November 2019].

SANBI (South African National Biodiversity Institute.  2019d.  Information document on trade in Hoodia gornoii and other Hoodi species. http://pza.sanbi.org/iinformation-document-trade-hoodia-gordonii-and-other-hoodia-species  [Accessed 07 November 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].

van Heerden, F.R. (2008) Hoodia gordonii: A natural appetite suppressant. J. Ethnopharmacology 119: 434-437.

Vermaak I, Hamman J, Viljoen, A.  2011.  Hoodia gordonii: A up-to-date review of a commercially important anti-obesity plant.  Planta Medica. 77(11): 1149-60.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/49778310_Hoodia_gordonii_An_Up-to-Date_Review_of_a_Commercially_Important_Anti-Obesity_Plant [Accessed 29 October 2019].

Wynberg, R. 2004.  Rhetoric, realism and benefit-sharing – use of traditional knowledge of Hoodia species in the development of an appetite Suppressant.  World Journal of Intellectual Property 6(7) :851–76. Cited in CBD Undated.

Wynberg, R. 2006. Identifying Pro-Poor, Best Practice Models of Commercialisation of Southern African Non-Timber Forest Products. PhD thesis, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. 343 pp. Cited in CBD Undated.

Wynberg. R. and Chennells, R. 2008. Green Diamonds of the South. A Review of the San-Hoodia Case. In: Wynberg, R., Chennells, R. and Schroeder, D. (eds). Community Consent and Benefit-Sharing: Learning Lessons from the San-Hoodia Case (Berlin: Springer, forthcoming 2008).  Cited in CBD Undated.

 

This page was last updated on January 30, 2022.

 

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