Waaierbossie (Triumfetta sonderi)

Family Malvaceae

 There is no information available on this plant.

 It is fairy common in the Pretoria area and is a small, thick bush growing about 1m in height.

 The yellow flowers develope into the red seed pods and are somethime thought to be flowers.

Black Eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata)

Family Acanthaceae

In much of the warmer world, Thunbergia alata, or black-eyed susan, is well known as a fast-growing, long-flowering, friendly creeper. In South Africa it is a general favourite as it is not fussy about soil, needs only moderate water, doesn't go rampant, is mostly evergreen and covers ugly places beautifully. It has even been honoured in the standard set of South African postage stamps.

 Ecology
Black-eyed susan is probably pollinated by bees. An insect visiting the flower will touch the stigma first, with its back, and then the anthers, getting a load of pollen that is then carried to another stigma. The flowers reflect ultra violet light in a pattern that is visible to insects but not to humans. This helps insects find the centre of the flower. Seeds are perhaps ejected mechanically when the fruit splits open. A butterfly, Junonia ovithya, or the eyed pansy, and moths also visit these plants to lay eggs, for the larvae eat the leaves. Hence this creeper, being attractive to insects, helps bring birds into a garden. Birds also often nest in the thickly tangled stems.

 Uses and cultural aspects

Used mainly as an ornamental plant, Thunbergia alata makes a good screen when used to cover unsightly dead trees or walls. It needs some support, as it cannot cling. Use fences, trellises, arches, arbours and pillars or a lightly shading tree. (Pergolas would probably be too big.) Alternatively, plant this creeper in groups as a ground cover, or on a bank or terraces where it can trail downwards. Hanging baskets are also a possibility.

In East Africa, black-eyed susan is used as a vegetable or stock feed. Medicinally it is used for skin problems, cellulitis, back and joint pains, eye inflammation, piles and rectal cancer. Gall sickness and some ear problems in cattle are also treated with this plant. Some people can get contact dermatitis from it.

Info: http://www.plantzafrica.com/

Pink Sour Fig (Carpobrethus acinaciformis)

Family Mesembryanthemaceae

 Uses & cultural aspects


The leaf juice is astringent and mildly antiseptic. It is mixed with water and swallowed to treat diarrhoea, dysentery and stomach cramps, and is used as a gargle to relieve laryngitis, sore throat and mouth infections. Chewing a leaf tip and swallowing the juice is enough to ease a sore throat.

 Leaf juice or a crushed leaf is a famous soothing cure for blue-bottle stings-being a coastal plant it is luckily often on hand in times of such emergencies. The leaf juice is used as a soothing lotion for burns, bruises, scrapes, cuts, grazes and sunburn, ringworm, eczema, dermatitis, sunburn, herpes, nappy rash, thrush, cold sores, cracked lips, chafing, skin conditions and allergies. An old and apparently very powerful remedy for constipation is to eat fruits and then drink brackish water.

 Syrup made from the fruit is said to have laxative properties. A mixture of leaf juice, honey and olive oil in water is an old remedy for TB. The leaf juice also relieves the itch from mosquito, tick and spider bites both for people and their animal companions. The Khoikhoi took an infusion of the fruits during pregnancy to ensure a strong, healthy baby and an easy birth and smeared leaf sap over the head of a new-born child to make it nimble and strong. In the Eastern Cape it is also used to treat diabetes, and diptheria.

 Fruits are eaten by people and have been since ancient times. Archaeologists have found plants covering ancient middens along the coast and sometimes marking Khoikhoi burial sites (UCT Summer School lecture).


The sour fig is frequently cultivated as a sand binder, groundcover, dune and embankment stabilizer, and fire-resistant barrier and also a superb water-wise plant.

Info: http://www.plantzafrica.com/

Blue-bells (Trichodesma angustifolium)

Family Boraginaceae

Dainty pale blue flowers, turning pink with age, cover bushes of Trichodesma angustifolium subsp. angustifolium in springtime, especially after fire. These blue-bells with much smaller flowers than their well-known sister species, the chocolate-bells, T. physaloides, are delicate and attractive.

Description


Trichodesma angustifolium subsp. angustifolium is a perennial herb with annual stems from a woody rootstock. Rounded bushes up to 0.5 m high and 2.0 m in diameter and a roughly appressed indumentum (covering of hairs) characterize the species.


The leaves are narrowly linear, ± 20-50 x 3-6 mm. The inflorescences are borne terminally. The calyx of the flowers is winged, enlarging in fruit and the corolla is ± 9-15 mm long, the lobes triangular, long acuminate, often twisted, and deep blue. Flowering time: from October to May.


The fruit consists of 4 nutlets.

 Conservation status

Currently Trichodesma angustifolium subsp. angustifolium is not threatened. However, the grasslands are threatened by human impact and this may change its status in future.

Distribution and habitat

The genus is widespread in southern Africa and is represented in various vegetation types ranging from grassland and savanna to succulent shrubland, mainly in the Grassland and Savanna Biomes. All southern African species extend further north into Africa. Trichodesma angustifolium subsp. angustifolium is disjunct in its distribution in southern Africa and is found in Namibia, Botswana, South Africa (Northern Province, North-West, Gauteng, Free State, northern KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape) and Mozambique. Blue-bells grow on red, sandy loam and stony soils. This species is essentially found in the moist summer rainfall areas of southern Africa.

Derivation of name and historical aspects

The name Trichodesma is derived from the Greek words, thrix or trikhos (hair), and desme (band or bundle), alluding to the twisted hairs or awns that terminate the anthers. The species name is a reference to the relatively narrow leaves.

The genus Trichodesma is a member of the family Boraginaceae (forget-me-nots), comprising about 45 species from the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australia. In southern Africa, five species and three subspecies are recognized. The related T. physaloides occurs in the same area as this species.

The related T. physaloides (Chocolate Bells) occurs in the same area as this species.

 T. angustifolium subsp. angustifolium is closely related to T. africanum from the drier western parts of southern Africa.


T. angustifolium subsp. argenteum differs from the typical subspecies in its silver-grey appearance due to a dense covering of hair and its distribution in northern Namibia.

Ecology

With sturdy, often very old, fire-resistant rootstocks and mass seed production after fire-stimulated flowering, this species is well adapted to survive unfavourable conditions. Most fire-stimulated plants do flower in the absence of fire, but not as profusely as they would after a fire. Plants reach a considerable age and large rootstocks may be more than a century old.

A prominent feature of the flower is the calyx, which is strongly enlarged in fruit. The plant sheds the nutlet(s) with the calyx and style attached. The entire floral structure is relatively light and serves as a dispersal unit. Blue-bells are subject to winter drought, regular natural fires and frost.

 Uses and cultural aspects

It is used medicinally by grinding the dried root into a fine powder and adding it to cold water for treating diarrhoea.

Growing Trichodesma angustifolium subsp. angustifolium

This plant is not in general cultivation, probably because it does not flower well unless subjected to fire (intense heat). It presents a challenge to the keen gardener to create a suitable environment for it.

Info: http://www.plantzafrica.com/planttuv/trichodesangust.htm

Monkey Thorn (Acacia galpinii)

Family Mimosoideae

This is a large tree with luxuriant, light green foliage, making it ideal for a big garden, avenue or park. It is also valued by farmers.

Description

Acacia galpinii is a deciduous tree, losing its leaves during the southern African winter (April-July). It is fast-growing and can reach 25-30 m. Creamy to light yellow flowers appear during the growing season (September-October). Reddish to purplish brown pods ripen during February-March. Acacia galpinii is often confused with Acacia polyacantha from which it can be distinguished by the gland on the leaf stalk: small in A. galpinii and large in A. polyacantha.

Distribution

Monkey-thorn grows naturally in open, wooded grassland, open woodland and often near streams. It is indigenous to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, northern and eastern Botswana and South Africa. In South Africa, Acacia galpinii occurs naturally in Limpopo [Northern Province] and the North-West. It is seen as an indicator of sweet veld, which retains its nutritional value in winter.

 Name derivation:

The name Acacia is derived from the Greek word 'akis', meaning a point or a spike, referring to the thorns in many Acacia species. The South African species are armed with spines. Most of introduced species from Australia are spineless. The species was named in honour of Ernest Galpin (1854-1941), a plant collector. Monkeys like taking cover in its wide branches and may also eat the pods and seeds, hence the common name.

There are about 1 340 species in this genus of which 954 are indigenous to Australia, 230 to the Americas, 129 to Africa and some species scattered in Asia. This very large, pan-tropical genus occurs mainly in dry country.

 Ecology and uses

Many insects such as bees and wasps visit the flowers. Ripe fruit pods burst open, releasing the seeds. Seeds are also dispersed by animals eating the pods.

Acacia galpinii is one of the trees that can survive hot and dry conditions. It makes a stunning tree along roads where there is enough space. It is an ideal tree for a big garden. In the wild the plant is grazed and used for shade during the hot summer by different animals including giraffe, kudu and elephant. Many birds often prefer nesting in this tree as it provides protection. It provides dappled shade on hot summer days, making it an ideal tree for planting on a lawn where some sun can penetrate.

 Growing Acacia galpinii

Monkey-thorn is easy to propagate from seed that is not parasitized. Like other plants belonging to the Fabaceae, seed of this tree must be soaked in hot water overnight and then sown the next day. Seed must be sown in a seedling tray filled with river sand. To avoid unnecessary moisture loss, the seed can be covered with vermiculite. Seedlings are fairly fast-growing but must be protected from frost probably for the first growing season. Although it is frost-tolerant, severe frost often kills off tender young branches. The tree prefers full sun. Do not plant it too close to buildings as it has extensive roots.

Info: http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/acaciagalpin.htm

Doll's Rose (Hermannia depressa)

Family Malvaceae

Hermannia Species:

A very diverse and attractive group of plants with highly ornamental flowers, fitting into a variety of habitats and growth forms, hermannias are the little porcelain bells of the South African veld. These plants have high horticultural potential yet are sadly undervalued as a garden plant. In this issue, a few striking species of this genus will be discussed.

Description:
Hermannia is a genus of small shrubs, ranging from upright to sprawling prostrate shrublets. They are charachterized by the presence of minute glandular or star-like hairs on the leaves and stems. The stems often have a dark grey bark. Leaves are alternate and entire, lobed or incised. Flowers consist of 5 petals which are slightly or very strongly spirally twisted into an upended rose. Most Hermannia species posess a thick woody stem and root, forming an underground stem, which enables the plants to survive dry periods and fires. In the veld, hermannias appear woody, some species being very palatable to stock and browsed down to the main branches.

Conservation status:

 taxonomic study of the genus has shown that a surprising number of species have a very limited distribution. This indicates that these distinct species are very restricted, giving rise to their diversity, but also making them more vulnerable in the case of over-utilization and disturbance.

Hermannias are generally common and not threatened. They have no specific value for collection, neither for the horticultural, nor medicinal trade.

Distribution
The genus consists of 154 species, which have a distribution mainly across the Flora of southern Africa area. There are 141 South African species alone, of which 81 are endemic to South Africa (occuring in South Africa only). The genus is also found in Madagascar, and extends through tropical East Africa (14 species, some shared with southern Africa) to North East Africa (four species, possibly more) and Arabia (one species, also found in Egypt and Sudan ). A single species ( Hermannia tigrensis ) is found in western Africa as well as southern Africa and North East Africa. There are three species in northern Mexico and adjacent parts of the United States, a single species in southern Mexico, and a single species in Australia. The greatest diversity is within the Western and Northern Cape and Namibia.

Ecology

Hermannias possess strong, thick, rootstocks and underground stems, which enable them to withstand fires in the highveld and overcome times of severe drought in arid areas. They are mostly very palatable to stock and small game, and are generally heavily grazed. Some species are an indication of good veld.

Economic and cultural value

Many members of the genus are used medicinally, for anything ranging from respiratory diseases, coughs and internal aches, as stimulants or purgatives, to soothing wounds and cuts. The common name pleisterbos ( Hermannia cuneifolia ) refers to the use of the leaves as plasters. In some plants the leaves are infused in a tea, and used to clean the blood. A root infusion was used by the early European colonial settlers against epilepsy. A lotion of the leaf was used for eczema and shingles. Certain species have magical significance and are used to drive out spirits and to wash the divining bones. H. depressa is used as a protective charm by the Zulus. H. hysopifolia is used in making an aromatic tea. Only one species has been found to be toxic to stock ( H. tomentosa ), but it is doubtful whether animals will browse this plant in the veld.

H. depressa N.E.Br.

Rooi-opslag (Afr.)
Herb with stems and leaves flat on the ground and spreading from a woody perennial taproot. They often grow clumped in patches. The leaves are carried on short stalks, are generally large and show a purplish to reddish brown tinge. The flowers are drooping, from short erect stalks, and vary in colour between orange, pinkish, mauve and yellow-cream. Distribution: common in grassland in the Highveld.

Info: http://www.plantzafrica.com/planthij/hermannia.htm

Poison Gooseberry (Withania somnifera)

Family Solanaceae

 Withania somnifera, also known as ashwagandha, Indian ginseng, poison gooseberry, or winter cherry, is a plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family.

 Several other species in the genus Withania are morphologically similar. It is used as a herb in Ayurvedic medicine.

 The flowers are small and green, while the ripe fruit is orange-red and has milk-coagulating properties. 

 The plant's long, brown, tuberous roots are used for medicinal purposes.

 The berries can be used as a substitute for rennet, to coagulate milk in cheese-making. Traditional medicinal uses.

 In Ayurveda, the berries and leaves of W. somnifera are locally applied to tumors, tubercular glands, carbuncles, and ulcers.

 The roots of W. somnifera are used to prepare the herbal remedy ashwagandha, which has been traditionally used to treat various symptoms and conditions

Information from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withania_somnifera  


Identification by: Johan Baard http://www.ispot.org.za/node/158694