Rare 'anti-fat' plant takes Eden closer to the Edge

A very rare plant which could help combat obesity has flowered spectacularly at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Hoodia gordonii, a spiky succulent plant with a pungent odour found in the Kalahari desert was grown at the project’s nursery by skilled horticulturalist Jann Coles from small plants sustainably sourced from a working group in South Africa.

Being from an arid region, the plant will not appear in Eden’s Rainforest or Mediterranean Biomes but will be used in an educational exhibit and is part of the project’s horticulture team’s preparations for Eden’s next phase, the Edge.

For many centuries the San bushmen of the Kalahari have eaten Hoodia plants to suppress their appetite while hunting.

Research is being undertaken into the possibility of the plant being used in the production of anti-obesity drugs.

Jann Coles said: “It’s a privilege to be looking after such a rare and beautiful plant, especially one with such interesting scientific potential.”

Hoodia is protected by national conservation laws in South Africa and Namibia and international CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) law and can only be collected or grown with a permit.

Eden’s next evolution the Edge is designed to show how plants and people in some of the most extreme environments in the world survive. It will give local communities and organisations a platform so that they can share their experiences, views, aspirations and ideas for how we will adapt to the challenges of the next few decades - from climate change to resource shortages.