Orbea lutea

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

A herb with underground stems or rhizomes. It has succulent stems and keeps growing from year to year. It grows 12 cm high. It forms mats 1 m across. The stems are up to 12 cm long and 1-3 cm thick. The flowers are in groups of 3-30 with one group per stem. They are pale cream or green outside and yellow to red inside. The flowers have an unpleasant smell like rotten meat. There are some subspecies.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It suits hot arid, places. It grows in areas with a rainfall under 500 mm per year. It grows in places with a marked dry season. The dry season can be 6-11 months. It grows in deep, well-drained soils. In southern Africa it grows between 500-1,700 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The stems are used as a vegetable. They are lightly roasted and eaten when food is short. The roots are eaten raw.

Edible parts

Stem, roots

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Aasblom, Da:daba, Ekata, Etatema, Ghaap, Kopseer, Lalga, Slaanghaap

Synonyms

Orbeopsis lutea subsp. vaga (N. E. Br.) L. C. Leach; Orbeopsis lutea (N. E. Br.) L. C. Leach; Caralluma brownii Dinter & A. Berger; Caralluma hahnii Nel in A. C. White & B. Sloane; Caralluma laterita N. E. Br.; Caralluma lateritia var. stevensonii A. C. White & B. Sloane; Caralluma lateritia N. E. Br.; Caralluma lutea var. lateritia (N. E. Br.) Nel in A.C. White & Sloane; Caralluma lutea N. E. Br.; Stapelia vaga N. E. Br.; Caralluma nebrownii var. discolor Nel in A. C.White & B. Sloane; Caralluma nebrownii A. Berger; Caralluma pseudonebrownii Dinter; Caralluma vaga (N. E. Br.) A. C. White & B. Sloane; Caralluma vansonii Bremekamp & Obermeyer;