Huernia transvaalensis stems

The Huernia genus comprises 46 species according to White and Sloane (1937), only 34 according to Vlok and Schutte-Vlok (2010). Some lumping may have happened after enthusiastic earlier splitting of forms.

The distributions of Huernia species range from the south of South Africa across tropical Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. The plants are perennial dwarf succulents that grow leafless, hairless stems.

Huernias appear like small-flowered stapelias without the foul smells. Still, they are pollinated by flies as their smelly relatives, maybe attracting the insects by the appearance of their flowers resembling rotten meat?

The stems of Huernia transvaalensis grow to lengths of between 4 cm and 6 cm. They reach a thickness of 1,5 cm to 1,8 cm. There are four or five columns of deltoid (triangular) teeth along the angles of the stems. The pale green to blue-green stem surfaces are covered in irregularly shaped, purplish blotches, more noticeable on younger stems and in rainy seasons (White and Sloane, 1937; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010).