Hoodia pilifera (L.F.) Plowes

Few-to many-stemmed shrublet to large shrub up to 0.8 m tall and 2 m broad. Stems 0.1-0.8 m tall, 30-60 mm thick, erect, dark greyish green; tubercles fused below middle into 20-34 acute to obtuse angles along stem, each tipped with a stiff grey to brown spine 3-9 mm long. Inflorescences each with 1-3 evil smelling flowers opening successively; pedicel 0.5-1.5 mm long, 1.0-1.5 mm thick (flower nearly sessile); sepals 1.5-3.0 mm long, 1.0-1.5 mm broad at base, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate. Corolla 8-30 mm diam., rotate to campanulate; inside pinkish brown to dark purple-black, covered (except towards base of tube) with conical obtuse papillae each tipped with a spreading bristle; tube 2-4 mm deep, 3.5-5.0 mm broad at mouth, cupular, usually with raised thickened annulus in corolla forming mouth; lobes 3.5-9.0 mm long, 3-9 mm broad at base, ascending to spreading, broadly ovate-deltate, acuminate, margins only slightly folded back. Corona 2-4 mm tall, 3-6 mm broad, glabrous, dark purple-black becoming reddish towards base, raised on very short stipe; outer lobes 1.5-4.0 mm long, erect, bifid to at least half their length into spreading and widely diverging dorsiventrally flattened lanceolate obtuse lobules, laterally fused in lower half to bases of inner lobes to form deep bay around guide-rails; inner lobes 0.5-1.5 mm long, linear, obtuse, from half as long as to equalling anthers (rarely connivent and rising up in centre).

It is a subtropical plant.

Plants can be grown by seed. They can also be grown by cuttings.