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Diepkloof Rock Shelter
Diepkloof Rock Shelter is a rock shelter in Western Cape, South Africa in which has been found some of the earliest evidence of the human use of symbols, in the form of patterns engraved upon ostrich eggshell water containers. These date around 60,000 years ago. The symbolic patterns consist of lines crossed at right angles or oblique angles by hatching. It has been suggested that "by the repetition of this motif, early humans were trying to communicate something. Perhaps they were trying to express the identity of the individual or the group."Amos, J. (2010)Etched ostrich eggs illustrate human sophistication.BBC News Site description The cave is about from the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean in a semi-arid area, near Elands Bay about north of Cape Town. It occurs in quartzitic sandstone in a butte that overlooks in an east direction above the Verlorenvlei River. It contains one of "most complete and continuous later Middle Stone Age sequences in southern Africa" stretchi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020. About two-thirds of these inhabitants live in the metropolitan area of Cape Town, which is also the provincial capital. The Western Cape was created in 1994 from part of the former Cape Province. The two largest cities are Cape Town and George. Geography The Western Cape Province is roughly L-shaped, extending north and east from the Cape of Good Hope, in the southwestern corner of South Africa. It stretches about northwards along the Atlantic coast and about eastwards along the South African south coast (Southern Indian Ocean). It is bordered on the north by the Northern Cape and on the east by the Eastern Cape. The total land area of the province is , about 10.6% of the country's total. It is roughly the size of England or the S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Celtis Africana
''Celtis africana'', the white stinkwood, is a deciduous tree in the family Cannabaceae. Its habit ranges from a tall tree in forest to a medium-sized tree in bushveld and open country, and a shrub on rocky soil. It occurs in Yemen and over large parts of Africa south of the Sahara. It is a common tree in the south and east of southern Africa, where the odour given off by freshly-cut green timber is similar to that of ''Ocotea bullata'' or Black Stinkwood. Description Habit Growing as an individual tree in the open and under favourable conditions, ''Celtis africana'' becomes a tree of medium height, typically up to 12 m or so. It then usually forms a dense, hemispherical canopy. The bole of a mature tree then is thick and buttressed, often forked fairly near the ground. In forest it may grow up to 25 m tall, with a single, clean bole, though such large specimens usually are more or less buttressed too. In an exposed, rocky position it may be a bonsai-like small shrub. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Podocarpus Elongatus
''Podocarpus elongatus'', the Breede River yellowwood, is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. In contrast to other yellowwood species of southern Africa, ''Podocarpus elongatus'' often resembles an enormous, round, multi-stemmed bush in its habit. The Breede River yellowwood is a protected tree in South Africa. Description It can be distinguished from the other yellowwood species of Southern Africa by its relatively elongated, grey-blue leaves (hence its species name ''"elongatus"''), and by its round, bushy shape. Note however, that ''Podocarpus henkelii'' was not described until after the name ''Podocarpus elongatus'' was established, and its leaves are decidedly longer, which might lead to some confusion. ''Podocarpus elongatus'' generally grows about as wide as it is tall, and its foliage reaches very low, roughly resembling a hut in habit. Range and habit It occurs only in South Africa, where it is restricted to the Breede River valley in the Western Cape and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiggelaria Africana
''Kiggelaria africana'' (also known as the wild peach or umKokoko) is a large, robust, low-branching African tree, and is currently the only accepted species in the genus ''Kiggelaria''. Despite its common name, ''Kiggelaria africana'' is not related to the more familiar fruit-producing peach tree (''Prunus persica'') although the leaves do look similar, if only very superficially. Unlike peach leaves, they are fairly thick and stiff, with a thin coating of fur on the undersides. Appearance A well-shaped, robust, evergreen tree with grey-green leaves. The smooth bark is pale grey in colour and the tree tends to be low-branching. The wild peach is dioecious (having separate male and female trees) and its tiny flowers are bell-shaped and a yellowish colour. The flowers are followed later in the summer by round, green capsules. These split open once ripe and the seeds, which are each covered in a layer of bright orange-red flesh, are eaten and spread by birds. Distribution This tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ficus
''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The common fig (''F. carica'') is a temperate species native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan to Portugal), which has been widely cultivated from ancient times for its fruit, also referred to as figs. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood. However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of considerable cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses. Description ''Ficus'' is a pantropical genus of trees, shrubs, and vines occupying a wide variety of ecological niches; most are evergreen, bu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afromontane
The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions of Africa are discontinuous, separated from each other by lower-lying areas, and are sometimes referred to as the Afromontane archipelago, as their distribution is analogous to a series of sky islands. Geography Afromontane communities occur above elevation near the equator, and as low as elevation in the Knysna-Amatole montane forests of South Africa. Afromontane forests are generally cooler and more humid than the surrounding lowlands. The Afromontane archipelago mostly follows the East African Rift from the Red Sea to Zimbabwe, with the largest areas in the Ethiopian Highlands, the Albertine Rift Mountains of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania, and the Eastern Arc highlands of Kenya and Tanzan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hartogiella Schinoides
''Hartogiella'' is a genus of flowering plants within the family Celastraceae. It contains one species, ''Hartogiella schinoides'' (known as the spoonwood or smalblad), a medium-sized tree from the southern Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ... province of South Africa. It has opposing leaves that show elastic threads when broken, and red fleshy fruit that becomes dry later in the year. References External links Southern Cape Trees & Shrubs {{Taxonbar, from=Q5224991 Trees of South Africa Trees of Mediterranean climate Monotypic rosid genera Celastrales genera Celastraceae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhus
Sumac ( or ), also spelled sumach, is any of about 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' and related genera in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae). Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, including East Asia, Africa, and North America. Sumac is used as a spice, as a dye, and in medicine. Description Sumacs are dioecious shrubs and small trees in the family Anacardiaceae that can reach a height of . The leaves are usually pinnately compound, though some species have trifoliate or simple leaves. The flowers are in dense panicles or spikes long, each flower very small, greenish, creamy white or red, with five petals. The fruits are reddish, thin-fleshed drupes covered in varying levels of hairs at maturity and form dense clusters at branch tips, sometimes called sumac bobs. Sumacs propagate both by seed (spread by birds and other animals through their droppings), and by new shoots from rhizomes, forming large clonal colonies. Taxonomy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maytenus
''Maytenus'' ''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is a genus of flowering plants in the family Celastraceae. Members of the genus are distributed throughout Central and South America, Southeast Asia, Micronesia and Australasia, the Indian Ocean and Africa. They grow in a very wide variety of climates, from tropical to subpolar. The traditional circumscription of ''Maytenus'' is paraphyletic, so many species have been transferred to ''Denhamia ''Denhamia'' is a genus of plants within the family Celastraceae, with species in Australia and New Caledonia. The species inhabit a variety of environments, from rainforest to semi-arid savanna. All species grow as shrubs or small trees up to 10 ...'', ''Gymnosporia'', ''Monteverdia'', and ''Tricerma''. Selected species * ''Maytenus abbottii'' Abraham Erasmus van Wyk, A.E.van Wyk * ''Maytenus acuminata'' (L.f.) Loes. * ''Maytenus boaria'' Juan Ignacio Molina, Molina (type species) * ''Maytenus buxifolia'' (A.Rich.) Griseb. (West ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cassine Peragua
''Cassine peragua'', also known as Cape saffron, bastard saffron and forest spoonwood, is a medium-sized tree with fragrant flowers, decorative fruits and a saffron-coloured trunk. It is indigenous to the Afro-montane forests of South Africa. Appearance Cape saffron is an evergreen tree which is usually around 2 to 5 meters in height, but can sometimes grow to 15 meters in the right conditions. The tough, round, leathery leaves are usually dark green, but can be copper, orange or scarlet coloured depending on growth. The bunches of small, bisexual flowers have a strong, but pleasant fragrance, and the fruits are berries that appear as green and then gradually darken to purple and black. The trunk eventually assumes an orange saffron colour, as the grey bark flakes off exposing the orange under-layer. File:Cassine peragua tree South Africa 7.jpg, File:Cassine peragua Cape Saffron tree Berries 2.JPG, File:Cassine peragua - Cape Town 1.JPG, Natural distribution It is natura ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diospyros
''Diospyros'' is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark timber, are commonly known as ebony trees, while others are valued for their fruit and known as persimmon trees. Some are useful as ornamentals and many are of local ecological importance. Species of this genus are generally dioecious, with separate male and female plants. Taxonomy and etymology The generic name ''Diospyros'' comes from a Latin name for the Caucasian persimmon ('' D. lotus''), derived from the Greek διόσπυρος : dióspyros, from ''diós'' () and ''pyrós'' (). The Greek name literally means "Zeus's wheat" but more generally intends "divine food" or "divine fruit". Muddled translations sometimes give rise to curious and inappropriate interpretations such as " God's pear" and " Jove's fire". The genus is a large one a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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