One of the weirdest plants in South Africa is called “Jakkelskos”. It is a parasitic plant that smells like a rotten corpse.
Hydnora africana, commonly known as jakkalskos or jackal food, is an unusual parasitic plant native to southern Africa. Belonging to the subfamily Hydnoroideae, it is entirely achlorophyllous, meaning it lacks chlorophyll and cannot perform photosynthesis. Instead, it functions as a holoparasite, obtaining all of its necessary water and nutrients by using specialized enzymes to attach its thick, stemless roots to the roots of host plants, most commonly members of the Euphorbia family. The plant lives almost entirely underground, resembling a fungus more than a traditional plant, with only its fleshy, peachy-orange, tubular flower emerging above the soil after heavy rainfall.
The plant's reproduction relies on a fascinating and somewhat deceptive trapping mechanism. The emerging flower emits a potent, foul odor reminiscent of rotting meat, which is produced by spongy white inner structures called osmophores. This carrion-like stench is specifically designed to attract dung and carrion beetles. When the beetles enter the flower, they fall down a tubular cavity and are temporarily trapped inside by stiff bristles and the physical structure of the plant's sepals. Over a couple of days, the trapped insects are dusted with pollen before the flower eventually opens wider, releasing the beetles to carry the pollen to other Hydnora africana plants in the area.
Following successful pollination, the plant produces a large, fleshy fruit that grows entirely underground and can take up to two years to fully ripen. Measuring up to eight centimeters in diameter and containing roughly twenty thousand seeds, the fruit is highly nutritious and heavily foraged by various wildlife, including jackals, baboons, birds, and porcupines. It is also edible for humans, possessing a taste and starchy texture frequently compared to a potato. Beyond its use as a food source, the fruit is highly astringent and has historically been utilized by people for tanning and preserving fishnets.