Huernia

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Gentianales

Familia: Apocynaceae
Subfamilia: Asclepiadoideae
Tribus: Ceropegieae
Subtribus: Stapeliinae
Genus: Huernia
Sectiones: H. sect. Fallacistelma – H. sect. Huernia – H. sect. Plagiostelma
Species: H. anagaynensis – H. andreaeana – H. archeri – H. asirensis – H. aspera – H. barbata – H. blyderiverensis – H. boleana – H. calosticta – H. collenetteae – H. concinna – H. delicata – H. engleri – H. erectiloba – H. erinacea – H. foetida – H. formosa – H. guttata – H. hadhramautica – H. hallii – H. hislopii – H. humilis – H. hystrix – H. keniensis – H. kennedyana – H. khalidbinsultanii – H. kirkii – H. laevis – H. lavranii – H. leachii – H. lenewtonii – H. levyi – H. loeseneriana – H. longii – H. longituba – H. lopanthera – H. macrocarpa – H. marnieriana – H. mccoyi – H. namaquensis – H. nigeriana – H. nouhuysii – H. occulta – H. oculata – H. pendula – H. piersii – H. pillansii – H. plowesii – H. praestans – H. procumbens – H. pulchra – H. quinta – H. radhwana – H. recondita – H. reticulata – H. rosea – H. rubra – H. rubrosticta – H. saudi-arabica – H. schneideriana – H. similis – H. somalica – H. stapelioides – H. sudanensis – H. tanganyikensis – H. thuretii – H. transvaalensis – H. urceolata – H. verekeri – H. volkartii – H. whitesloaneana – H. witzenbergensis – H. zebrina
Nothospecies: H. × distincta

Name

Huernia R.Br., Asclepiadeae 11. (1810)

Typus: H. campanulata (Masson) Haw. = Huernia barbata (Masson) Haw

Synonyms

Decodontia Haw., Syn. Pl. Succ. 28. 1812.

References

Brown, R. 1810. On Asclepiad. 11.
Farr, E. R. & Zijlstra, G. eds. (1996-) Index Nominum Genericorum (Plantarum). 2010 May 26 [1].
Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Huernia in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 Sept. 26. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2021. Huernia. Published online. Accessed: Sept. 26 2021.
Tropicos.org 2021. Huernia. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 Sept. 26.

The genus Huernia (family Apocynaceae, subfamily Asclepiadoideae)[2] consists of perennial, stem succulents from Eastern and Southern Africa and Arabia, first described as a genus in 1810.[3][4]

The flowers are five-lobed, usually somewhat more funnel- or bell-shaped than in the closely related genus Stapelia, 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.[5] To pollinate, the flowers attract flies by emitting a scent similar to that of carrion. The genus is considered close to the genera Stapelia and Hoodia. 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, Piaranthus and Stapelia.[6]

The name of the plant is in honor of Justus van Heurne (1587–1653?) a Dutch missionary, botanist, and doctor, who is reputed to have been the first European to document and collect South African Cape plants.[3][5][7] His surname has variations (van Horne, Heurnius, van Heurnius),[7] however it was misspelled by the plant collector.[5]

Various species of Huernia are considered famine food by the inhabitants of Konso special woreda in southern Ethiopia. The local inhabitants, who call the native species of this genus baqibaqa indiscriminately, eat it with prepared balls of sorghum (kurkufa); they note that baqibaqa tastes relatively good and has no unpleasant side-effects when boiled and consumed.[8] As a result, local farmers encouraged it to grow on stone walls forming the terraces, where it does not compete with other crops.[8]
Species

The follow species of Huernia are found in Africa (East Africa, South Africa and Ethiopia) and Arabia (Saudi Arabia, Yemen).[9]

Huernia anagaynensis Plowes
Huernia andreaeana (Rauh) L.C.Leach
Huernia archeri L.C.Leach
Huernia asirensis Plowes
Huernia aspera N.E.Br.
Huernia baradii Plowes
Huernia barbata (Masson) Haw.
Huernia blyderiverensis (L.C.Leach) Bruyns
Huernia boleana M.G.Gilbert
Huernia calosticta Bruyns
Huernia collenetteae Plowes
Huernia concinna N.E.Br.
Huernia delicata Plowes
Huernia × distincta N.E.Br.
Huernia engleri A.Terracc.
Huernia erectiloba L.C.Leach & Lavranos
Huernia erinacea P.R.O.Bally
Huernia foetida Plowes
Huernia formosa L.C.Leach
Huernia guttata (Masson) Haw.
Huernia hadhramautica Lavranos
Huernia hallii E.Lamb & B.M.Lamb
Huernia hislopii Turrill
Huernia humilis (Masson) Haw.
Huernia humpatana Bruyns
Huernia hystrix (Hook.f.) N.E.Br.
Huernia keniensis R.E.Fr.
Huernia kennedyana Lavranos
Huernia khalidbinsultanii Plowes & T.A.McCoy
Huernia kirkii N.E.Br.
Huernia laevis J.R.I.Wood
Huernia lavranii L.C.Leach
Huernia leachii Lavranos
Huernia lenewtonii Plowes
Huernia levyi Oberm.
Huernia lodarensis Lavranos
Huernia loeseneriana Schltr.
Huernia longii Pillans
Huernia longituba N.E.Br.
Huernia lopanthera Bruyns
Huernia macrocarpa (A.Rich.) Schweinf. ex K.Schum.
Huernia marnieriana Lavranos
Huernia mccoyi Plowes
Huernia namaquensis Pillans
Huernia nigeriana Lavranos
Huernia nouhuysii I.Verd.
Huernia occulta L.C.Leach & Plowes
Huernia oculata Hook.f.
Huernia pendula E.A.Bruce
Huernia piersii N.E.Br.
Huernia pillansii N.E.Br.
Huernia plowesii L.C.Leach
Huernia praestans N.E.Br.
Huernia procumbens (R.A.Dyer) L.C.Leach
Huernia pulchra Orlando & El Azzouni
Huernia quinta (E.Phillips) A.C.White & B.Sloane
Huernia radhwana Plowes
Huernia recondita M.G.Gilbert
Huernia reticulata (Masson) Haw.
Huernia rosea L.E.Newton & Lavranos
Huernia rubra Plowes
Huernia rubrosticta Plowes
Huernia saudi-arabica D.V.Field
Huernia schneideriana A.Berger
Huernia similis N.E.Br.
Huernia somalica N.E.Br.
Huernia stapelioides Schltr.
Huernia sudanensis Plowes
Huernia tanganyikensis (E.A.Bruce & P.R.O.Bally) L.C.Leach
Huernia thuretii J.F.Cels
Huernia transvaalensis Stent
Huernia urceolata L.C.Leach
Huernia verekeri Stent
Huernia volkartii Werderm. & Peitscher
Huernia whitesloaneana Nel
Huernia witzenbergensis C.A.Lückh.
Huernia yemenensis Plowes
Huernia zebrina N.E.Br.

formerly included

moved to Angolluma

Huernia sprengeri now Angolluma sprengeri

References

lectotype designated by White et Sloane, Stapelieae ed. 2. 3: 819. 1937
Chaney, Cathryn. "Planting Guides for Lifesaver Cactuses". SFGate.com. Hearst. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
Brown, Robert. 1810. On the Asclepiadeae 11
"Name - Huernia R. Br". www.tropicos.org. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
"Asclepiadaceae: Huernia". succulent-plant.com. Retrieved 2019-08-13. "Justus van Heurne"
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.
Gunn, Mary; Codd, L. E. W. (1981). Botanical Exploration Southern Africa, Introductory volume to the Flora of Southern Africa. CRC Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780869611296 – via Google Books.
Guinand, Yves; Lemessa, Dechassa (10 March 2000). "Wild-food Plants in Southern Ethiopia: Reflections on the role of 'famine-foods' at a time of drought - Ethiopia". ReliefWeb. UNDP Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
"Huernia R.Br". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 10 April 2021.