Yes, Hoodias and Huernias are related. They're both members of the Asclepiadaceae Family. And yes, they are difficult to come by unless you know someone. The best way to achieve that is to join a cactus & succulent society if you can. Or join the Cactus & Succulent Society of America.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cactus & Succulent Sources

Thanks faeden-that link has a load of info I'll check out!

Mesa Garden is a wonderful source of Stap seed and plants.

go to www.cactus-seeds.com hoodia gordonii seeds have catalogue number 6473. To find out more about the plant, go to www.hoodiaman.com

Thanks vlado for the hoodia seed source and info. I will check it out.

Follow up note: I wouldn't eat the poor plant if ever grew one. It would probably take years to reach a munchable size anyway!

It amazing to see how popular this cactus is becoming, they are making pils drinks tea snack bars and even chewing gum out of it now, and unilever, nestle and other companies are getting in on the act, and all of a sudden because of a one hour documentary ove 10 million people want to buy the cactus or a product derived from it, and the price of seeds had increased 20 fold in a matter of weeks,

Here is a link that might be useful: hoodia

And with that popularity one wonders if the plant can become endangered in it's natural habitat. For that reason I would not use any supplements that could promote the mass destruction of those habitats. If anyone wants to lose their appetite, take a bite of a fresh aloe leaf. You will surely gag and forget about eating for awhile. There are many other interesting cacti and succulents to grow as suggested by the contributors here and am looking into those instead of Hoodia.

No, you're right, Hoodia is not a cactus. It is a member of the Milkweed Family and is native to South Africa.

You can try to order seeds from http://www.cactus-mall.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: hoodia gordonii cactus

There are several Hoodia species that are available quite often as seed but you need to look in the right places or belong to the right clubs to have access to them. Hoodia flava, Hoodia prolifera and Hoodia ruschii are fairly common but Hoodia gordonii is now less commonly found for sale. This is not an easy genus of plants to grow so make sure to do some research.

There is an interesting article in Asklepios magazine issue #91 about the errorous use of Hoodia. Apparently people were harvesting the exotic south American cactus Trichocereus spachianus that has become naturalized in areas of Botswana Africa. If you know anything about cactus chemistry this is pretty funny to say the least. Take a look at the International Asclepiad Society as well if you are really interested in this family of plants.

Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: asclepiad exhibition

Thanks for the mention of IAS, great website with lots of picture links. The Asclepiads truely are the orchids of the desert. Found that Horizon herbs is selling Hoodia Gordonii seeds but passing due to lack of interest, the flowers aren't that spectacular. Have a Stapelia to coax into blooming now. Only have windowsill conditions during winter.

I have my stapeliads in a south facing apartment window and they do wonderfully there all year long. Just remember to only water during the winter on bright sunny days, other than that no water at all. These plants are not very difficult to grow once you understand their requirements. I have found that some species are more difficult to flower than others while some never stop producing flowers. I would recommend Huernia as a good genus to start with because they are generally easy to grow and flower. Try Mesa Gardens mixed Stapeliad seed packet and you will get Hurenia, Stapelia and Caralluma seeds. Seeds only germinate well under hot conditions so wait until summer or use a heat mat. Flickr is another great site for photos of Stapeliads and Asclepiads.

Mike

Thanks Mike, I'll check into that Stapeliad seed source. Interesting about the Caralluma which I won't mention as it might get another onslaught of supplement offers! I do have a big pot of huernia which have bloomed sporadically (small burgandy flowers so far, they may be mixed) as well as a rhipsalis or hatitora salicorniodes that never fails to bloom in December. I'll read up more on my Stapelia and it's blooming requirements, flowers could be just around the corner.