Photo: Lytton John Musselman, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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African Hydnora

Hydnora africana

Also known as Jackal Food, Jakkalskos

At a glance

Family

Hydnoraceae

Type

Holoparasitic root parasite (leafless and without chlorophyll)

Parts used

Fruit (rind and pulp)

Size

Flower buds roughly 5 to 10 cm, mostly hidden below ground; the fruit a rounded, potato-like mass 5 to 10 cm across

Bloom

A strange, fleshy, brownish flower pushes up through the soil after good rains, opening close to the ground

Habitat

Arid and semi-arid scrubland of southern Africa, always attached below ground to the roots of Euphorbia shrubs

Acquisition

Forage

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Traditionally settles the stomach

Rich in tannins

Historic famine and trail food

Valued for its astringency

Traditional uses

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Long before botanists puzzled out what it even was, San and Khoikhoi communities of southern Africa knew exactly where to dig for it. The starchy, tannin-rich fruit was traditionally eaten fresh, roasted, or dried, and small amounts were taken to help settle an upset stomach and ease looseness in the bowels. The same astringent rind was pressed into service far beyond the cooking fire, used to tan leather and to dye fabric a deep reddish brown. It earned the Afrikaans name jakkalskos, jackal food, because jackals, porcupines, and baboons are just as quick to dig it up as people are.

Growing guide

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Sun

Not applicable in the usual sense. The plant has no leaves and no green tissue, so it never photosynthesizes and never needs light of its own.

Soil

Sandy, well-drained arid soil, but only where a living Euphorbia shrub is already established. The plant lives entirely underground, wrapped around the host's roots.

Water

Depends on the host plant and seasonal rains rather than any watering routine of its own.

Planting

This is not a garden herb. Hydnora africana cannot be cultivated apart from a living Euphorbia host and specialized soil conditions, so it is only ever encountered in the wild, not grown at home.

Fresh to dried

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Harvest

Foragers look for cracks in the sand near the base of a Euphorbia bush, sometimes following a faint carrion-like scent, then dig down carefully to free the fruit without damaging the host root.

Drying

Sliced fruit is traditionally left to dry whole in the sun, its high tannin content helping it resist spoilage.

Storage

Dried pieces keep for a long stretch in a cool, dry container thanks to that same tannin richness.

Best forms

Fresh fruit eaten in the field, or sun-dried pieces kept for later

Traditional preparations

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Featured preparation

Traditional Dried Fruit for an Unsettled Stomach

The ripe fruit's natural astringency, from its high tannin content, has traditionally been used to help calm a queasy or loose stomach.

How it's made. Traditionally, a small piece of the ripe fruit, about the size of a thumb, is eaten fresh or after being dried in the sun. It is taken plain, in modest amounts, rather than brewed as a tea.

Pairs well with

✦Buchu
✦Wild Garlic (Tulbaghia)

Substitutes

✦Oak bark (for its similar tannin-driven astringency)
✦Pomegranate rind

Choose it when

“For the hidden, dung-scented bloom of the desert floor, dug up rather than picked.”

Did you know?

Hydnora africana spends almost its entire life invisible, hidden underground as little more than a knot fused to its host's roots, and reveals itself only when its strange flower pushes up through the sand. That flower gives off a dung-like scent to lure in carrion and dung beetles, which crawl inside and are held there for a few days as unwitting pollinators before the flower finally lets them go.

Safety

Hydnora africana is high in tannins, so stick to small traditional amounts, since larger or frequent intake can be hard on digestion and may interfere with iron absorption. There's no safety data on use during pregnancy or nursing, so avoid it in those cases.