Adenia spinosa (Caudex)

Adenia spinosa is a shrub with a climbing habit strongly characterized by its magnificent caudiciform stem. In Tshivenda language it is commonly called "tshivhuyu-dumbu", or "small baobab with a big belly", precisely to indicate its bulging shape similar to an elephant foot. The trunk is in fact lumpy, irregular, and can reach up to 1.5 meters in diameter. From this trunk, long, thin and thorny branches spread, which in summer lose their leaves (green, oval-shaped and strongly venous) to avoid consuming too much water. During the flowering period, it blooms with yellow flowers.