Hydnora: The strangest plant in the world?

Abstract

Hydnora is a poorly known genus of parasitic plants from Africa and southern Arabia. An extreme reduction in morphological features, including the complete lack of leaves, has led to Hydnora's reputation as “the strangest plant in the world.” Although it is among the most basal parasitic angiosperms known to science, little work has been carried out on the genus and it remains virtually unknown in cultivation.

Understanding the Ethnobotany, Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Distribution of Genus Hydnora (Aristolochiaceae)

“…Data from literature, world herbarium, and online tools were used to confirm the accepted names and synonyms [ 1 , 12 , 34 , 38 ]. The species were confirmed as follows; H. africana Thunb.…”

“…H. arabica is distributed from Southern Oman (Dhofar region) to Yemen on Acacia species [ 1 ]. H. africana is distributed in Namibia, Swaziland, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Madagascar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Ethiopia [ 8 , 12 , 25 , 43 , 47 , 48 ]. H. abyssinica is the most widely distributed species in Namibia, Northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zaire, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and the Arabian Peninsula [ 11 , 23 , 24 , 29 , 40 , 49 , 50 , 51 ].…”

“…[ 8 ], H. triceps Drège and E. Mey [ 9 ], H. sinandevu Beentje and Q. Luke [ 10 , 11 ], and H. longicollis (Welw.) Bolin [ 5 , 12 ]. Recently, two new Hydnora species have been identified in different locations [ 1 , 5 ].…”

“…Moreover, the distribution of Hydnora species in Africa and other parts of the world remains unclear. These challenges are perhaps propelled by a scanty distribution of Hydnora species, insufficient sample collection, and poor preservation methods [ 6 , 11 , 12 ]. Due to their mushroom-like appearance, they can be confused with each other, posing a taxonomic challenge.…”

Plants matter: Introducing Plants, People, Planet

“…Moving away from the International Botanical Congress, in the first of our Flora Obscura series Chris Thorogood profiles the unusual genus Hydnora (Thorogood, ). Flora Obscura articles will feature regularly in the journal and will highlight all that is new and unusual in the world of plants, including newly discovered species, and new or unusual insights into the biology of plants and their interactions with other organisms (Figure c).…”