Often known as “dog food,” Hydnora Africana is a parasitic plant species that is considered one of the strangest in the world. Relatives of this plant species often hide underground, absorbing nutrients from the host plant roots.
Hydnora Africana mainly inhabits coastal areas from South Africa to southwestern Angola. The bright red color, similar to salmon, of this flower species serves the same biological purpose as other flowers, which is to attract insects.
However, the strange shape of this flower makes it hard to believe it’s a flower. If you look through the three openings of the flower, you will see three completely different perspectives. Some people say that the inside of the flower resembles the mouth of a monster.
Not only does this flower have a bizarre appearance, but it also has an unpleasant odor, often described as fecal. With such a scent, it’s hard to believe that any animal would want to approach the flower. Surprisingly, however, it’s precisely this distinctive odor and shape that attract Hydnora Africana. When the beetles land on the flower, they get stuck, and when they escape, they carry pollen and unwittingly spread it.
In contrast to the flower, the fruit of the Hydnora Africana plant has a pleasant odor and can grow up to over 8 cm, containing nearly 20,000 seeds per fruit. The locals often use this fruit as a medicine for diseases related to the kidney, bladder, constipation, and acne.
This plant is a parasite that smells like a rotting corpse: Meet jackal food (Hydnora africana)! Unlike many plants, which use chlorophyll and photosynthesis to derive nutrients from the Sun, this species attaches itself to host plants instead, siphoning off their nutrients. Found in arid parts of southern Africa, including South Africa and Namibia, the stench of the jackal food’s fruit attracts a variety of animals including jackals, porcupines, and moles. What does it taste like? Its flavor and texture have been compared to that of a potato.
Photo: arditolastico, CC BY-NC 4.0 ,iNaturalist
