hoodia gordonii | Botanic Facts on Hoodia Gordonii

Botanic Facts on Hoodia Gordonii



Common Names: hoodia, miracle cactus

Scientific Name: hoodia gordonii sweet

Botanical Sources: succulent asclepiad trichocaulon hoodia gordonii

Species: genus hoodia is selected from the group’s hoodia gordonii, hoodia curroii, hoodia lugardii, hoodia macrantha, hoodia ruschii and hoodia currari as well as a few others.

Family: Asclepiadaceae (Asclepiadeae)

Order: trichocaulon

(Trichocaulon): from thrix, trichos- a hair and caulon- a stem; are alluding to the bristles that tip each tubercle. Hoodia spp. belongs to the Trichocaulon Subgroup of Succulent Asclepiad Genera.

Synonym: hoodia cactus gordonii, hoodia gordonii, the carrion flower (hoodia)

Origin: south-western areas of Africa, eastern parts of South America

Habitat: succulent, forming clumps of 12 inches tall, 12 inches wide (30 by 30 cm); mature in 5 years or longer

Frost Tolerance: hardy to -2C

Sun Exposure: light shade, morning sun

Usage: core parts of the stems and roots of hoodia gordonii. The P57 molecule is extracted from the heart of hoodia gordonii, not the outer layers of the skin.

Propagation: cuttings