The genus ''Huernia'' (family

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison Members of the ...

, subfamily

Asclepiadoideae The Asclepiadoideae are a subfamily of plants in the family Apocynaceae. Formerly, they were treated as a separate family under the name Asclepiadaceae, e.g. by APG II, and known as the milkweed family. They form a group of perennial herbs, twin ...

) consists of

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

stem succulent Stem succulents are fleshy succulent columnar shaped plants which conduct photosynthesis mainly through their stems rather than their leaves.Frerea indica, a Stem Succulent CAM Plant with Deciduous C₃ Leaves, Otto L. Lange and Margit Zuber, Oeco ...

s from Eastern and Southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...

, first described as a genus in 1810.Brown, Robert. 1810. On the Asclepiadeae 11 The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are five-lobed, usually somewhat more funnel- or bell-shaped than in the closely related

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Stapelia ''Stapelia'' is a genus of low-growing, spineless, stem succulent plants, predominantly from South Africa with a few from other parts of Africa. Several Asian and Latin American species were formerly included but they have all now been transfe ...

'', and often striped vividly in contrasting colors or tones, some glossy, others matte and wrinkled depending on the species concerned. Frequently the flowers are colored a variation of red, yellow or brown. To

pollinate Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, a ...

, the

s attract flies by emitting a scent similar to that of

carrion Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures, c ...

. The genus is considered close to the genera ''

'' and ''

Hoodia ''Hoodia'' (; known locally as "ghaap" or "bobbejaanghaap") is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, under the subfamily Asclepiadoideae, native to Southern Africa. One species of ''Hoodia'' in particular, ''Hoodia gordonii'', ...

''. Phylogenetic studies have shown the genus to be monophyletic, and most closely related to the genus '' Tavaresia'', and to a widespread branch of stapeliads comprising the genera ''

Orbea Orbea is a bicycle manufacturer based in Mallabia, Spain. It is part of the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation and Spain's largest bicycle manufacturer. Orbea manufactures and assembles bikes at their own factory in Mallabia, the other models ...

'', ''

Piaranthus ''Piaranthus'' is a succulent plant genus in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae, in the family Apocynaceae. It was first described in 1810. Its name comes from Greek and is descriptive of the fleshy, succulent flowers typical of the genus (''"piar-" ...

'' and ''

''.P. Bruyns, C. Klak, P. Hanacek: ''Evolution of the stapeliads (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae) - repeated major radiation across Africa in an Old World group. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.'' 2014. v. 77, no. 1, p. 251--263. ISSN 1055-7903. The name of the plant is in honor of Justus van Heurne (1587–1653?) a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

, botanist, and doctor, who is reputed to have been the first European to document and collect

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

plants. His surname has variations (van Horne, Heurnius, van Heurnius), however it was misspelled by the plant collector. Various species of ''Huernia'' are considered

famine food A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or readily available food used to nourish people in times of hunger and starvation, whether caused by extreme poverty, such as during economic depression or war, or by natural disasters such as ...

by the inhabitants of

Konso special woreda Konso is a zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia. It was formerly a woreda. Prior to 2011, Konso was not part of any Zone in the SNNPR and was therefore considered a special woreda, an administrative subdiv ...

in southern

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. The local inhabitants, who call the native species of this genus ''baqibaqa'' indiscriminately, eat it with prepared balls of

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

(kurkufa); they note that ''baqibaqa'' tastes relatively good and has no unpleasant side-effects when boiled and consumed. As a result, local farmers encouraged it to grow on stone walls forming the terraces, where it does not compete with other crops.

Species

The follow species of ''Huernia'' are found in Africa (East Africa, South Africa and Ethiopia) and Arabia (Saudi Arabia, Yemen). ;formerly included moved to '' Angolluma'' *''Huernia sprengeri'' now '' Angolluma sprengeri''
File:Huernia aspera.jpg, alt=Huernia asperia, '' Huernia asperia'' File:Huernia guttata ericbrian.jpg, alt=Huernia guttata, '' Huernia guttata'' File:Huernia piersii1.JPG, alt=Huernia piersii, '' Huernia piersii'' File:Huernia primulina (Vermont).jpg, alt=Huernia primulina, '' Huernia primulina'' File:Huernia quinta.JPG, alt=Huernia quinta, '' Huernia quinta'' File:Flower of Huernia schneideriana.jpg, alt=Huernia schneideriana, '' Huernia schneideriana'' File:Huernia striata1.JPG, alt=Huernia striata, '' Huernia striata'' File:Huernia zebrina kwiat.jpg, alt=Huernia zebrina, '' Huernia zebrina''

References

External links

Images of Stapeliads
{{Taxonbar, from=Q141945 Apocynaceae genera Flora of Africa Succulent plants