Succulent Milkweed
Caralluma (Desmidorchis) acutangula
Possibly Caralluma acutangula. Adjacent to the Nakuru-Sigor Road at Lake Baringo, Rift Valley Province, Kenya. 9 October 2010. Several plants in area all about 1 meter tall.
Many species of succulent milkweed can be found in the semiarid and desert
areas of Africa, and Kenya is no exception. In many ways they resemble cactus
that are native to the New World, or the succulent spurges native to Africa,
but are unrelated. Text books often give this as an example of convergent
evolution. Besides thorns, many milkweeds are defended from herbivores by
highly toxic compounds and irritating latex resin. 
Notice the unusual flower color, like
the color of drying carrion or flesh. Indeed the mass of flowers smell of
rotting meat and attract flies - flies that are the agents of pollination.
Asclepiadaceae -- Milkweed Family
(now included in the Apocynaceae -- Dogbane Family)
More Information:
- Book: Upland Kenya Wild Flowers and Ferns by A. D. Q. Agnew, 3rd Revised Edition, 2013, Nature Kenya - The East Africa Natural History Society
- Wikipedia
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search
