Origin and Habitat: North western Kenya and Western Ethiopia (Africa)
Habitat and ecology: Huernia reconditaSN|30462]]SN|30462]] grows on bare soil under fairly dense Acacia bushland together with other succulents such as Caralluma gemugofana.

• Huernia recondita M.G.Gilbert

Description: Huernia reconditaSN|30462]]SN|30462]], a little known, small procumbent succulent plant from Ethiopia with thin rounded stems and exquisite flowers. Flowers are pale yellow in colour and marked with blood red spots. The annulus is not visible on the flower and corolla is covered by cylindrical to club-shaped papillae to 2.8 mm long. The flower colour is variable.
Stems: Short with four smooth angles (rarely 5-7 angled) almost cylindric, up to 50 cm long, 10-12,5 mm thick, obtusely 4-angled, plant appears slightly segmented with a small pointed tubercule at the end of each segment. Stems are off-green in colour and marked with rust coloured marks, with obsolescent tubercle teeth (leaves).
Flowers: Pedicel c. 2 mm thick at the base, 15-30 mm long forming a short lumpy bracteate peduncle with successive flowering. Sepals ovate acuminate, 7-10 mm long, 1,5-2 mm broad. Corolla 35-45 mm across outside densely minutely asperate, becoming sparsely so on the widely spreading limb and slightly recurved lobes. Tube shallow campanulate , slightly constricted at the throat, 10-12,5 mm in diameter, about 8 mm deep. Corolla lobes triangular, pointed, 9-12 mm wide, 12-15 mm long, with a conspicuous median nerve with in-between smaller lobes 2-3 mm long spreading and sharp; inner face yellow, marked with irregular red spots, smooth, brown-red at the base of the tube, becoming concentrically red-lined above and subdensely papillate in the throat; papillae slender, tapered to a subacute apex , red-banded, ± 1,0 mm long, becoming longer, up to 2,8 mm, at and around the mouth, more densely distributed, more cylindric (not or scarcely tapered) and usually slightly obtusely clavate, gradually reducing in length towards the apex of the lobes to about 0,75 mm on the thickened, dark-red, continuous margin, tuberculate-papillose inside, entire subacute outside. Corona about 5 mm high; outer lobes blackish, subquadrate, , + 2 mm broad at the base, irregularly obtusely bidentate at the slightly narrowed apex; nectarial orifice obscured by a relatively small conical tubercle; inner lobes 3-3,5 mm long, dorsally produced downwards into an almost rectangular, transverse gibbosity at the base, tapering slightly to the somewhat enlarged apex, erectly converging above the anthers, contiguous just below the sharply recurved, minutely papillate, obtuse apex, dark coloured at the base, grading to pale and again dark at the apex (red f Gilbert). Pollinia yellowish, oblong-elliptic, ± 0,4-0,45 x 0,25-0,3 mm. (L. C. Leach 1988)

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) L. C. Leach “A Revision of Huernia R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae)” Aloe, Cactus and Succulent Society of Zimbabwe, 1988
2) Focke Albers, Ulrich Meve “Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Asclepiadaceae: Asclepiadaceae” Volume 4 Springer Science & Business Media, 2002
3) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/August/2011
4) Bruyns, P.V. “Stapeliads of southern Africa and Madagascar” vol. 1. and vol. 2, Umdaus Press, Hatfield, Pretoria. 2005.

Cultivation and Propagation: Huernia recondita isn't difficult to grow and flower. It is a great plant for use as a groundcover, in gravel gardens, paved areas, rockeries, in hanging baskets or pots, or for spilling over walls. It is a bit brittle so avoid handling when possible and not for planting in areas with traffic. Try mixing with other succulents and alpines.
Spring: When winter ends and they begin to grow again, they will require much water and soaking the pots will no longer put the plants at risk for rot. In the spring they will grow well in partial shade and leaving them out in the rain may provide them with the water they need.
Summer: In the summer months they will tolerate heavy rain, but will be just as happy if the season is dry. It's best to sort out the stems while the plants are resting in the summer before they begin their autumnal growth cycle. They will tolerate very hot weather outdoors as long as they are kept in filtered light and this will encourage them to flower in the Autumn. They also enjoy some fertiliser. Moving the plants as they are developing buds may cause them to spontaneously abort the flowers all together.
Autumn: In the fall keep them outdoors until the night time temperatures drop below the 10°C.
Winter: Winter care presents no problems at 10° C with plenty of light. As soon as they are flowered be sure to take extra precautions to keep them dry, because damp cool conditions when the plants are resting is an invitation to fungal infections, but - according to temperatures –some occasional lit watering may be useful.
Potting medium: Since roots are quite shallow, use a cactus mix or add extra perlite or pumice to regular soil potting soil. A gritty, very free-draining compost is suitable, and clay pots help the plants to dry out between watering. Re-pot every 2 years.
Pest and diseases: Huernia are generally fairly easy to grow, especially if kept pest-free. They are very susceptible to stem and root mealy bugs, and damage from these may well initiate fungal attack. Any time when there is a dead or dying stem in the pot it is important to remove it immediately and completely before other healthy stems can become ill too, isolate the healthy parts, dry them off, and re-root them in new compost. It should not be exposed to direct sun that make stem turn brown, and stops growth.
Uses: Huernia henienais is grown as an ornamental in rock gardens and containers.
Medicinal uses: In Kenya the sap from the stem is applied to wounds to dry them.
Propagation: Easiest with stem cuttings. Allow cuttings to dry a day before planting. Stems must be laid (Not buried) on gritty compost and will then root from the underside of the stems. It can also be increased from seeds sowing in spring in moist, sandy peat moss. Barely cover seeds. Seeds germinate quickly.
In any season it's best to lay the stems out for several days before replanting them and then pot them only in dry soil and withhold any water until they begin to shrivel or start growing again.