Hoodia gordonii

A spiny, columnar stem succulent of the arid western interior of southern Africa, with large saucer-shaped, carrion-scented flowers. It needs intense light, heat, very fast drainage and a strictly dry, cool winter, and rots quickly if kept wet or cold.

At home, aim for

Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Grows on stony plains, gravel slopes and rocky ridges in the Nama Karoo and adjacent arid savanna, often among low shrubs that give young plants a little shade.

Few records carry an elevation; the arid plateau sites it occupies lie mostly between about 500 and 1,500 m.

NamibiaSouth Africa (Northern Cape and Western Cape)Botswana

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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More Hoodia

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 2.5 licence, unmodified.