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Scientific Name | Hydnora visseri Bolin, E.Maass & Musselman |
Higher Classification | Dicotyledons |
Family | HYDNORACEAE |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Least Concern |
Assessment Date | 2014/05/11 |
Assessor(s) | D. Raimondo |
Justification | This parasite is relatively widespread and common in vast areas of southern Namibia and the Richtersveld of South Africa. As a holoparasite, H. visseri has an obligate relationship with its hosts E. gregaria and E. gummifera. Thus its survival is dependant on robust host populations. Neither host plant is declining. Based on those factors and its presence in numerous protected areas including the Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park (South Africa and Namibia), Sperrgebiet National Park (Namibia), the private ecological preserve Gondwana Canyon Park (Namibia), and its persistence on farms, it is unlikely that H. visseri is under threat of extirpation under current land use practises. |
Distribution |
Endemism | Not endemic to South Africa |
Provincial distribution | Northern Cape |
Range | Karas Region of Namibia and the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. This species' distribution follows that of its obligate hosts E. gregaria and E. gummifera in winter and transitional rainfall (summer-winter) areas of Namibia and South Africa on both sides of the Orange River. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Succulent Karoo |
Description | Where E. gregaria and E. gummifera (the host plants of this species) occur they often form the dominant vegetation component of the Nama-Karoo and succulent Karoo vegetation types. Habitat is usually flat with sandy soils but occasionally H. visseri occurs in rocky soil types in rolling terrain. |
Threats |
| Despite intensive land use for grazing in southern Namibia and northern South Africa the abundance of H. visseri does not appear to suffer as their obligate hosts are not palatable and are not browsed by domestic animals. The type locality, Farm Namuskluft may be under development pressure in the future due to its proximity to mining activities near Rosh Pinah, a prominent hub of mining activity in southern Namibia. |
Population |
Population trend | Stable |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Hydnora visseri Bolin, E.Maass & Musselman | Least Concern | 2014.1 | |
Bibliography |
Bolin, J.F., Maass, E. and Musselman, L.J. 2011. A new species of Hydnora (Hydnoraceae) from Southern Africa. Systematic Botany 36(2):255-260.
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Citation |
| Raimondo, D. 2014. Hydnora visseri Bolin, E.Maass & Musselman. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/14 |
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