Hydnora africana

Description:

Hydnora africana is a parasitic plant that lives on Euphorbias. Hydnora, from Africa, belongs to a family, Hydnoraceae that also includes a New World genus, Prosopanche. This flower was photographed in Namaqualand, South Africa. Beetle-pollinated flowers usually have an abundance of pollen and an abundance of stigma areas, and Hydnora flowers are no exception. Hydnoras are pollinated by beetles. By producing excess pollen and stigma cells, beetle-pollinated flowers succeed in achieving pollination and producing seeds despite the feeding habits of the beetles which eat most of the pollin.