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Lobostemon Fruticosus
''Lobostemon fruticosus'', also known as the eightday healthbush or pyjamabush, is a species of medicinal plant endemic to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. It is considered to be ecologically and economically important but is declining due to overexploitation. Description This shrub grows high. It has many long branches emerging from the base. The lower stems are woody while the younger branches towards the tips are soft and are red in colour. The stalkless leaves are narrow and oval shaped, ending in pointed tips. Both the herbaceous stems and the leaves are covered in white hairs. Flowers are present between May and December. The bell-shaped flowers range from pink to blue in colour and are borne in compound cymes. The colour is variable, but typically the inside and back are pink, washing into blue tips. The young flowering axis is compact with the flower buds loosely arranged to form a globose unit. They spread slightly in the fruiting stage. The stamens are dissimi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example '' Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. '' Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which applies to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salmonella Typhi
''Salmonella enterica'' subsp. ''enterica'' is a subspecies of ''Salmonella enterica'', the rod-shaped, flagellated, aerobic, Gram-negative bacterium. Many of the pathogenic serovars of the ''S. enterica'' species are in this subspecies, including that responsible for typhoid. Serovars ''S. enterica'' subsp. ''enterica'' contains a large number of serovars which can infect a broad range of vertebrate hosts. The individual members range from being highly host-adapted (only able to infect a narrow range of species) to displaying a broad host range. A number of techniques are currently used to differentiate between serotypes. These include looking for the presence or absence of antigens, phage typing, molecular fingerprinting and biotyping, where serovars are differentiated by which nutrients they are able to ferment. A possible factor in determining the host range of particular serovars is phage-mediated acquisition of a small number of genetic elements that enable infection of a pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Medicinal Plants
Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection against insects, fungi, diseases, and herbivorous mammals. The earliest historical records of herbs are found from the Sumerian civilization, where hundreds of medicinal plants including opium are listed on clay tablets, c. 3000 BC. The Ebers Papyrus from ancient Egypt, c. 1550 BC, describes over 850 plant medicines. The Greek physician Dioscorides, who worked in the Roman army, documented over 1000 recipes for medicines using over 600 medicinal plants in ''De materia medica'', c. 60 AD; this formed the basis of pharmacopoeias for some 1500 years. Drug research sometimes makes use of ethnobotany to search for pharmacologically active substances, and this approach has yielded hundreds of useful compounds. These include the common drugs asp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plants Described In 1837
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclude the fungi and some algae, as well as the prokaryotes (the archaea and bacteria). By one definition, plants form the clade Viridiplantae (Latin name for "green plants") which is sister of the Glaucophyta, and consists of the green algae and Embryophyta (land plants). The latter includes the flowering plants, conifers and other gymnosperms, ferns and their allies, hornworts, liverworts, and mosses. Most plants are multicellular organisms. Green plants obtain most of their energy from sunlight via photosynthesis by primary chloroplasts that are derived from endosymbiosis with cyanobacteria. Their chloroplasts contain chlorophylls a and b, which gives them their green color. Some plants are parasitic or mycotrophic and have los ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syphilis
Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary). The primary stage classically presents with a single chancre (a firm, painless, non-itchy skin ulceration usually between 1 cm and 2 cm in diameter) though there may be multiple sores. In secondary syphilis, a diffuse rash occurs, which frequently involves the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. There may also be sores in the mouth or vagina. In latent syphilis, which can last for years, there are few or no symptoms. In tertiary syphilis, there are gummas (soft, non-cancerous growths), neurological problems, or heart symptoms. Syphilis has been known as "the great imitator" as it may cause symptoms similar to many other diseases. Syphilis is most commonly spread through sexual activity. It may also be transmi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galenia Africana
''Galenia'' is a synonym of ''Aizoon ''Aizoon'' or ''Aizoön'' is a genus of flowering plants in the iceplant family, Aizoaceae. Distribution Apart from A. canariense (which is native to Macaronesia, North Africa, Southern Africa, Horn of Africa and West Asia) all species are nat ...'' Selected species Species include: *'' Galenia acutifolia'' Adamson *'' Galenia affinis'' Sond. *'' Galenia africana'' L. *'' Galenia collina'' (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Walp. *'' Galenia crystallina'' (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Fenzl *'' Galenia cymosa'' Adamson *'' Galenia dregeana'' Fenzl ex Sond. *'' Galenia ecklonis'' Walp. *'' Galenia exigua'' Adamson *'' Galenia filiformis'' (Thunb.) N.E.Br. *'' Galenia fruticosa'' (L.f.) Sond. *'' Galenia glandulifera'' Bittrich *'' Galenia hemisphaerica'' Adamson *'' Galenia herniariifolia'' (C.Presl) Fenzl *'' Galenia hispidissima'' Fenzl *'' Galenia meziana'' K.Müll. *'' Galenia namaensis'' Schinz *'' Galenia portulacacea'' Fenzl *'' Galenia procumbens'' L.f. *' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyanella Lutea
''Cyanella lutea'' (commonly known as "Five-fingers" or "Geelraaptol") is a species of cormous herb, native to South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia, where it grows in clay-rich or loamy soils. Description It has a flat basal rosette (plants reach a height of 25 cm) of 4-6 lanceolate, crisped (wavy margins), ribbed leaves. The rosette of leaves usually dies off, before the flowers appear. The yellow or pink flowers are 15mm wide and appear on a branched inflorescence in late Spring. Subspecies * subsp. ''lutea'' occurs in rocky clay, shale or limestone soils in the Western Cape Province, from the Bokkeveld mountains in the north, to Cape Town in the west, and eastwards through the Little Karoo and Overberg regions as far as the Kouga mountains in the Eastern Cape Province. * subsp. ''rosea'' occurs in dry sandy or calcareous soils to the east and far north ( Eastern Cape Province, Northern Cape Province The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melianthus Comosus
''Melianthus comosus'', the honey flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Francoaceae. It is native to the mostly dry regions of southern Africa. The attractive multi-stemmed shrubs are popular garden subjects. The Afrikaans name kruidjie-roer-my-nie (''herb-touch-me-not'') alludes to the unpleasant smell that results from bruising of any part of the plant. The vegetative parts are very toxic, as with other ''Melianthus'' species, and extracts of the leaves and stem have anti-bacterial properties. Range It is native to South Africa, western Lesotho and southern Namibia, where it occurs from 400 to 2,000 m above sea level. In South Africa it occurs in the greater part of the Cape and Free State provinces, and locally in North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. Flowers The flowers which produce copious black nectarAlso described as dark brown but J. Henning records that black nectar is found in ''M. comosus'', ''M. elongatus'' and ''M. villosus'', and brown nectar in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melianthus Major
''Melianthus major'', the giant honey flower or ''kruidjie-roer-my-nie'' (Afrikaans for 'herb-touch-me-not'), is a species of flowering plant in the family Francoaceae. It is an evergreen suckering shrub, endemic to South Africa and naturalised in India, Australia and New Zealand. It grows to tall by wide, with pinnate blue-green leaves long, which have a distinctive musky odour. Dark red, nectar-laden flower spikes, in length, appear in spring, followed by green pods. All parts of the plants are poisonous. The Latin binomial ''Melianthus major'' literally means "large honey flower". The plant is also sometimes called ''honeybush'' ( along with many other plants)''.'' In cultivation this plant requires a sheltered location and may also need a protective winter mulch in temperate regions. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. File:Southern Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris chalibeus) female or juvenile on Honey Flower (Melianthus major) (3 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erysipelas
Erysipelas () is a relatively common bacterial infection of the superficial layer of the skin ( upper dermis), extending to the superficial lymphatic vessels within the skin, characterized by a raised, well-defined, tender, bright red rash, typically on the face or legs, but which can occur anywhere on the skin. It is a form of cellulitis and is potentially serious. Erysipelas is usually caused by the bacteria ''Streptococcus pyogenes'', also known as ''group A β-hemolytic streptococci'', which enters the body through a break in the skin, such as a scratch or an insect bite. It is more superficial than cellulitis, and is typically more raised and demarcated. The term comes from the Greek ἐρυσίπελας (''erysípelas''), meaning "red skin". In animals, erysipelas is a disease caused by infection with the bacterium ''Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae''. The disease caused in animals is called Diamond Skin Disease, which occurs especially in pigs. Heart valves and skin are a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hermannia Hyssopifolia
''Hermannia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It comprises at least 65 species with many more species as yet unresolved. The genus commemorates Prof. Paul Hermann (1646-1695), a German professor of botany at Leyden and one of the first collectors to visit the Cape. The genus has a large number of species, each with very limited distribution, but they are generally common and not threatened, with little interest shown in them for horticulture or medicine. Their distribution ranges across Southern Africa, the vast majority of species being endemic. They are also found in Madagascar and in tropical East Africa to North East Africa and Arabia. A single species, ''Hermannia tigrensis'', is found in western, southern and North-East Africa. Three species are found in northern Mexico and adjacent regions of the United States, one species in southern Mexico, and one in Australia. ''Hermannias greatest diversity is found in the Western and Northern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psoralea Decumbens
''Psoralea'' is a genus in the legume family (Fabaceae) with over 60 closely related species native to southern Africa. In South Africa they are commonly referred to as fountainbush (English); fonteinbos, bloukeur, or penwortel (Afrikaans); and umHlonishwa (Zulu). Species * ''Psoralea abbottii'' C.H.Stirt. * '' Psoralea aculeata'' L. * ''Psoralea affinis'' Eckl. & Zeyh. * ''Psoralea alata'' (Thunb.) T.M.Salter * ''Psoralea angustifolia'' L'Hér. * ''Psoralea aphylla'' L. * ''Psoralea arborea'' Sims * ''Psoralea asarina'' (P.J.Bergius) T.M.Salter * '' Psoralea axillaris'' L.f. * ''Psoralea azuroides'' C.H.Stirt. * ''Psoralea brilliantissima'' C.H.Stirt., Muasya & A.Bello * '' Psoralea cataracta'' C.H.Stirt. * ''Psoralea congesta'' C.H.Stirt. & Muasya * ''Psoralea diturnerae'' A. Bello, C.H. Stirt. & Muasya * '' Psoralea elegans'' C.H.Stirt. * ''Psoralea ensifolia'' (Houtt.) Merr. * ''Psoralea fascicularis'' DC. , syn. ''Psoralea tenuifolia'' Thunb. , syn. '' Psoralea thunbergiana ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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