Below sun-scorched lands of the rainbow nation
A strange and fascinating wonder lies unseen
Rain is scarce and life thrives on adaptation
Away from eyes, the fields are seldom green.
No foliage unfolds, no shoot greets the sun
Its body hides below, like roots of ancient origin
No chlorophyll is there to turn the light to food
It draws life entirely from the host’s livelihood.
From hidden depths emerges an amazing bloom
What a fleshy wonder breaking the desert gloom
Its carrion-like stench is spreading far and near
To lure the beetles that must now enter here.
The cycle starts afresh when moisture comes
Within its floral chamber, a new life softly hums
The beetle escapes while the seeds are secure
And hidden life prepares to bloom once more.
No towering stem proclaims its earthly rise
No waving green leaves reach toward the skies
Yet in its strange design and silent mandate
Evolution’s wonder shines, unique and great.
Note: Hydnora africana: Native to southern Africa,it grows parasitically on the roots of host plants, especially Euphorbia species.It is a highly specialised subterranean parasitic plant, with its reproductive flower providing the most conspicuous evidence of its existence.
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