Hoodia gordonii... spot the fly

Where would Hoodia gordonii, its generic companions and its wider family be without flies? The centre of the wide, shallow dish or saucer formed by the five-lobed corolla is where edible or potable reward, as well as pollination duties await the fly of the moment. Provide the pong and the flies will find you!

Vein lines radiate from the corona in the centre across the blade of the corolla and disappear over the curved edged horizon before reaching the rolled-under margin. One of the five lobe-tip spines of the corolla is visible; reddish and white-tipped; not very intimidating with such a soft surface behind it.

Flowers overlap here in haphazard fashion, but there is hardly a flower centre that won’t be reached by some of the flies that pick up the Hoodia scent (White and Sloane, 1937; Shearing and Van Heerden, 2008; Le Roux, et al, 2005; iNaturalist).