Did you know that Mousetrap Tree (Uncarina grandidieri) gets its name from its spiny seed pods that trap any passing animal that touches them?

Mousetrap Tree - Uncarina grandidieri

Uncarina is a genus of semi-succulent flowering plants in the Pedaliaceae (the sesame family) found in Madagascar. Uncarina grandidieri, also known as mousetrap plant, mousetrap tree, succulent sesame, farehitra, or farehitsy, is a species of semi-succulent, caudex-forming flowering plants native to South Madagascar.

The name for the genus Uncarina comes from the Latin word 'uncus' meaning "hook" or "barb" in reference to the hooked spiny fruits. The specific epithet  ( grandidieri) was given by Otto Stapf (1857-1933), an Austrian born botanist and taxonomist to honour Alfred Grandidier (1836–1921), a French naturalist and explorer in Madagascar. We have long called this plant Succulent Sesame as it is in this family, but the fruit is also responsible for the alternative common name Mousetrap Tree.

Because of habitat loss and plant collection this plant has become scarce and in 2013 it came under protection of Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

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