Orbea decaisneana is a succulent subshrub and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome. It is native to north Africa; Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, and Sudan/South Sudan.
Description
Stems erect, more or less cylindrical, slender, apically tapering, whitish green, marbled or spotted with brown, 10 - 40 × 1.5 cm diameter, 3- to 6-ribbed, sides conspicuously furrowed; tubercles 0.7 - 1.5 cm, strong, conical-subulate, horizontal to ascending. Inflorescence with 1 - 3 more or less erect flowers; peduncle cushion-like, 1- to 20-flowered, sometimes with 1 mm long filiform bract; pedicel 1 - 5mm, more or less conical; sepals 4 - 5 mm. Corolla dark purple or reddish-brown, 1.5 - 2.5 cm diameter, flat, tube 4 (-6) × 8 mm diameter, campanulate, embracing the corona. ==Names==
Names
Called taïberou by the Tuareg in south Algeria. ==Toxicity==
Toxicity
Said to be very poisonous by the Tuareg of southern Algeria. Never eaten by herbivorous animals. The name Caralluma venenosa (now lumped under Orbea decaisneana) was given by the botanist René Maire for this reason - venenosa meaning poisonous in Latin. In North Africa, used as a fish poison and in hunting small mammals and birds. ==Cultivation==
Cultivation
Common in cultivation by succulent enthusiasts, as it is easy to grow. ==References==