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Microcoelia Exilis
''Microcoelia exilis'', commonly known as the pinhead orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is a leafless epiphyte, a perennial herb that grows in a tangled cluster of roots and stems on the branch of a tree. This orchid is native to tropical central and eastern Africa and was first described in 1830 by the English botanist John Lindley. Description The stem is up to long and in diameter. The much-branched aerial roots may be either broad or slender and form a tangled mass; many are not attached to the substrate. There are no true leaves but scale leaves are up to long, and are either beak-like or the apex tapers to a long point; they each have five to eight nerves. There may be multiple inflorescences up to long, either erect or arching. Each inflorescence has fifty or more minute white flowers with yellowish-green, globose spurs. Distribution and habitat ''Microcoelia exilis'' is native to tropical central and eastern Africa. Its r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Lindley
John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden. Although he had great horticultural knowledge, the undertaking was not profitable and George lived in a state of indebtedness. As a boy he would assist in the garden and also collected wild flowers he found growing in the Norfolk countryside. Lindley was educated at Norwich School. He would have liked to go to university or to buy a commission in the army but the family could not afford either. He became Belgian agent for a London seed merchant in 1815. At this time Lindley became acquainted with the botanist William Jackson Hooker who allowed him to use his botanical library and who introduced him to Sir Joseph Banks who offered him employment as an assistant in his herba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spur
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back up the natural aids (the leg, seat, hands, and voice). The spur is used in many equestrian disciplines. Most equestrian organizations have rules in about spur design and use and penalties for using spurs in any manner that constitutes animal abuse. Etymology This very old word derives from Anglo-Saxon ''spura, spora'', related to ''spornan, spurnan'', to kick, ''spurn''; cf. Medieval High German ''Sporn'', modern German ''Sporn'', Dutch ''spoor''. The generalized sense of "anything that urges on, stimulus" is recorded in English from'' circa'' 1390. Design The parts of a spur include: *The "yoke", "branch", or "heel band", which wraps around the heel of the boot. *The "shank" or "neck", which extends from the back of the yoke and is the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orchids Of Africa
Orchids are plants that belong to the Family (biology), family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering plants. The Orchidaceae have about 28,000 currently accepted species, distributed in about 763 genus, genera. (See ''External links'' below). The determination of which family is larger is still under debate, because verified data on the members of such enormous families are continually in flux. Regardless, the number of orchid species is nearly equal to the number of Teleostei, bony fishes, more than twice the number of bird species, and about four times the number of mammal species. The family encompasses about 6–11% of all species of seed plants. The largest genera are ''Bulbophyllum'' (2,000 species), ''Epidendrum'' (1,500 species), ''Dendrobium'' (1,400 species) and ''Pleurothallis'' (1,000 species). It also inclu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
CITES
CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of international trade. It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The convention was opened for signature in 1973 and CITES entered into force on 1 July 1975. Its aim is to ensure that international trade (import/export) in specimens of animals and plants included under CITES, does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild. This is achieved via a system of permits and certificates. CITES affords varying degrees of protection to more than 38,000 species. , Secretary-General of CITES is Ivonne Higuero. Background CITES is one of the largest and oldest conservation and sustainable use agreements in existence. There are three working langu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Houseplant
A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are usually tropical or semi-tropical, and are often epiphytes, succulents or cacti. Cultural history Early history The history of houseplants is intertwined with the history of container gardening in general. Ancient Egyptians and Sumerians grew ornamental and fruiting plants in decorative containers. Ancient Greeks and the Romans cultivated laurel trees in earthenware vessels. In ancient China, potted plants were shown at garden exhibitions over 2,500 years ago. In the medieval era, gillyflowers were displayed in containers. Early modern era In the Renaissance, plant collectors and affluent merchants from Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium imported plants from Asia Minor and the East Indies. Creeping groundsel was introduced in Malta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Usnea
''Usnea'' is a genus of mostly pale grayish-green fruticose lichens that grow like leafless mini-shrubs or tassels anchored on bark or twigs.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, The genus is in the family Parmeliaceae. It grows all over the world. Members of the genus are commonly called old man's beard, beard lichen, or beard moss. Like other lichens it is a symbiosis of two or three fungi and an alga. In ''Usnea'', the fungus belongs to the division Ascomycota, while the alga is a member of the division Chlorophyta. Members of the genus are similar to those of the genus '' Alectoria''. A distinguishing test is that the branches of ''Usnea'' are somewhat elastic, but the branches of ''Alectoria'' snap cleanly off. Systematics The genus ''Usnea'' was circumscribed by Michel Adanson in 1763. He used the name designated by Johann Jacob Dillenius, whose earlier published description did not met the rules of valid publication as estab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drypetes Arguta
''Drypetes arguta'', commonly known as the water ironplum, is a species of small tree or large bush in the family Putranjivaceae. It is native to tropical East Africa. It was first described in 1920 by the English botanist John Hutchinson, who named it ''Cyclostemon argutus''. It was later transferred to the genus ''Drypetes''. Description ''Drypetes arguta'' is a small tree or large straggling shrub, growing to a height of about . The bark is grey, either smooth or with fine vertical furrows. The leaves have short stalks and a pair of yellow linear stipules at the base, and are arranged alternately on slender, greyish twigs. They are bright green, up to long, elliptical to lanceolate, with uneven bases and attenuated tips. There are glands at the tips of the marginal teeth. The flowers grow in clusters or singly in the axils of the leaves. They are unisexual, with male flowers being on a different tree from female flowers. They are yellowish-green and fragrant, and are followed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cola Greenwayi
''Cola greenwayi'', commonly known as hairy cola or Zulu coshwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It was first described in 1956 by the British botanist John Patrick Micklethwait Brenan. It is native to southeastern Africa. Description ''Cola greenwayi'' is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree growing to around , either monoecious or dioecious. The smaller branches and twigs are brown and densely hairy at first. The leaves are alternate, purplish-brown when young and dark green and leathery when older, up to . They are stalked, simple, elliptical or oblanceolate, and have prominent veins. There is a hairy swelling known as a pulvinus at the base of each leaf-blade, which acts as a hinge. The flowers are in clusters growing in the axils of the leaves. They have small, rusty-brown, hairy bracts. The calyx has four to six lobes and there are no petals. The four to five carpels turn yellowish-orange when ripe, making a sub-globose fruit, hairy at first, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newtonia Hildebrandtii
''Newtonia hildebrandtii'', the Lebombo wattle ( af, Lebombowattel, zu, Umfomothi), is a medium-sized tree native to eastern Africa. It is a protected tree in South Africa. Description ''Newtonia hildebrandtii'' is a medium-sized tree growing to a height of about . The trunk is usually rough, and the small branchlets and twigs are puberulous (densely covered with very short soft hairs) when young. The leaves are bi-pinnate and up to long, each leaf having four to seven pairs of pinnae, and each pinna having six to nineteen pairs of leaflets. There is usually a gland between each pair of pinnae. The leaflets are linear or oblong and up to long, with the underside often having raised lateral nerves. The inflorescence is a spike up to long composed of whitish or creamy flowers, which are followed by flattened pods up to long. Distribution and habitat This tree is found in eastern Africa, its range extending from Kenya and Tanzania, through Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia, to Mozam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat regions covered with wind-swept sand or dunes with little or no vegetation are called ''ergs'' or ''sand seas''. Dunes occur in different shapes and sizes, but most kinds of dunes are longer on the stoss (upflow) side, where the sand is pushed up the dune, and have a shorter ''slip face'' in the lee side. The valley or trough between dunes is called a ''dune slack''. Dunes are most common in desert environments, where the lack of moisture hinders the growth of vegetation that would otherwise interfere with the development of dunes. However, sand deposits are not restricted to deserts, and dunes are also found along sea shores, along streams in semiarid climates, in areas of glacial outwash, and in other areas where poorly cemented sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern African Sand Forest
Southern African Sand Forest is a sand forest, or a subtropical forest plant community of the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests biome. It grows on ancient sand dunes in northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mozambique. In South Africa these forests are known simply as Sand Forest, while in Mozambique they are known as Licuati Forest. The Southern African sand forest is part of the Maputaland coastal forest mosaic ecoregion. Origins Sand forests are thought to be relics of coastal dune forests, which have been separated from the ocean for more than a million years as the shoreline has shifted slowly eastwards over the millennia. Dunes have accreted on the southeast African coastal plain since the Pliocene, and frequent sand mobilization events during climatic changes have resulted in some reworking of the dunes. The geological history of the region suggests that the current ecosystems here may be of recent derivation and many endemic plant taxa comply with the concept ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed on the axis of a plant. The modifications can involve the length and the nature of the internodes and the phyllotaxis, as well as variations in the proportions, compressions, swellings, adnations, connations and reduction of main and secondary axes. One can also define an inflorescence as the reproductive portion of a plant that bears a cluster of flowers in a specific pattern. The stem holding the whole inflorescence is called a peduncle. The major axis (incorrectly referred to as the main stem) above the peduncle bearing the flowers or secondary branches is called the rachis. The stalk of each flower in the inflorescence is called a pedicel. A flower that is not part of an inflorescence is called a solitary flower and its stalk is al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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