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Renosterveld
Renosterveld is a term used for one of the major plant communities and vegetation types of the Cape Floristic Region (Cape Floral Kingdom) which is located in southwestern and southeastern South Africa, in southernmost Africa. It is an ecoregion of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. Etymology Renosterveld directly translated in the Afrikaans language means "rhinoceros-field", a possible reference to the high number of rhinoceroses seen by the Afrikaner settlers at the time. It may also derive its name from the renosterbos (rhinoceros bush – ''Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis''), which is a common species of shrub found here. The dull grey colour of renosterbos is similar to the colour of a rhino's hide. Geology Renosterveld plants grow on rich soil, which makes them more nutritious than typical fynbos plants. Typically, renosterveld is largely confined to fine-grained soils – mainly clays and silts – which are derived from the shales of the Malmesbury and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fynbos
Fynbos (; , ) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean climate. The fynbos ecoregion is within the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. In fields related to biogeography, fynbos is known for its exceptional degree of biodiversity and endemism, consisting of about 80% (8,500 fynbos) species of the Cape floral kingdom, where nearly 6,000 of them are endemic. The area continues to face severe human-caused threats, but due to the many economic uses of the fynbos, conservation efforts are being made to help restore it. Origin of the term The word '' fynbos'' is often taken literally to mean ''fine bush'', as in Afrikaans '' bos'' means '' bush'', whereas in this instance ''bush'' refers to the type of vegetation. Typical fynbos foliage is ericoid rather than ''fine''. The term in its pre-Afrikaans, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cape Floristic Region
The Cape Floral Region is a floristic region located near the southern tip of South Africa. It is the only floristic region of the Cape Floristic Kingdom, and includes only one floristic province, known as the Cape Floristic Province. The Cape Floristic Region, the smallest of the six recognised Phytochorion, floral kingdoms of the world, is an area of extraordinarily high diversity and endemism, and is home to over 9,000 vascular plant species, of which 69 percent are endemic. Much of this diversity is associated with the fynbos biome, a Mediterranean-type, fire-prone shrubland. The economical worth of fynbos biodiversity, based on harvests of fynbos products (e.g. wildflowers) and eco-tourism, is estimated to be in the region of South African rand, R77 million (~United States dollar, US$5 million) a year. Thus, it is clear that the Cape Floristic Region has both economic and intrinsic biological value as a biodiversity hotspot. Location and description Home to the gre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dicerothamnus Rhinocerotis
''Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis'', synonym ''Elytropappus rhinocerotis'', (commonly known as renosterbos or "rhinoceros bush") is a species of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae, endemic to South Africa. It is a very obvious component of the unique Renosterveld Vegetation Type, which is named after this bush. Distribution Although the Renosterveld Vegetation Type is confined to the South-Western Cape of South Africa, the Renosterbos plant is much more widespread - occurring throughout the Cape Floristic Region and further, as far east as Molteno in the Eastern Cape, and as far north as Namibia. Renosterbos is also relatively common in this area, unlike most plants associated with Renosterveld vegetation. As a consequence of livestock finding the plant relatively inedible, ''Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis'' has spread in heavily grazed areas and increased in numbers relative to other (more easily grazed) plants. Uses ''Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis'' is a medicinal plant i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shale Renosterveld On Klapmuts Hill After A Veld Fire - Western Cape SA
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g., kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite.Blatt, Harvey and Robert J. Tracy (1996) ''Petrology: Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic'', 2nd ed., Freeman, pp. 281–292 Shale is characterized by its tendency to split into thin layers ( laminae) less than one centimeter in thickness. This property is called '' fissility''. Shale is the most common sedimentary rock. The term ''shale'' is sometimes applied more broadly, as essentially a synonym for mudrock, rather than in the narrower sense of clay-rich fissile mudrock. Texture Shale typically exhibits varying degrees of fissility. Because of the parallel orientation of clay mineral flakes in shale, it breaks into thin layers, often splintery and usually parallel to the otherwise indistinguishable bedding plane ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eriocephalus Africanus
''Eriocephalus africanus'' is a bushy shrublet indigenous to South Africa. It has a wide distribution in the Western and Eastern Cape Floral Region, Cape, and in Namaqualand. The plant has several common names in various languages. It is known as the Kapokbossie or Wild Rosemary (Afrikaans "wilde roosmaryn") referring to its fancied resemblance to rosemary. The superficial resemblance is in the foliage, which, though softer and not glossy, grows in a habit similar to that of the common Mediterranean rosemary, although the two species are not related. ''Eriocephalus africanus'' is fragrant, with lightly felted foliage that gives the plant a matt silvery appearance. The inflorescences are small brown and pale yellow heads borne in corymbs; each head bears a few bisexual ray florets with abortive ovaries and snowy white petals that practically cover a bush in flower. The ray florets surround usually some four to eight female florets in the centre.Dyer, R. Allen, The Genera of Sou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemism
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or, in scientific literature, as an ''endemite''. Similarly, many species found in the Western ghats of India are examples of endemism. Endemism is an important concept in conservation biology for measuring biodiversity in a particular place and evaluating the risk of extinction for species. Endemism is also of interest in evolutionary biology, because it provides clues about how changes in the environment cause species to undergo range shifts (potentially expanding their range into a larger area or b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Themeda Triandra
} ''Themeda triandra'' is a species of perennial tussock-forming grass widespread in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Pacific. In Australia it is commonly known as kangaroo grass and in East Africa and South Africa it is known as red grass and red oat grass or as ''rooigras'' in Afrikaans. Kangaroo grass was formerly thought to be one of two species, and was named ''Themeda australis''. The plant has traditional uses as food and medicine in Africa and Australia. Indigenous Australians harvested it to make bread and string for fishing nets around 30,000 years ago. It was used as livestock feed in early colonial Australia, but this use was largely replaced by introduced plants. there is a large government-funded project underway to investigate the possibility of growing kangaroo grass commercially in Australia for use as a regular food source for humans. Description ''Themeda triandra'' is a perennial grass which grows in dense tufts up to tall and wide. It flowers in summ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karee
''Searsia lancea'' commonly known as karee (archaically karree), is an evergreen, frost hardy, drought resistant tree, which can reach up to in height with a spread. It is one of the most common trees on the Highveld and in the Bushveld in South Africa, but not found in the Lowveld. In North America, where it is naturalised, it is known as African sumac and willow rhus. Common names ''S. lancea'' bears many names by locals in South Africa. By far the most common name for this tree is ''karee'', which derives from the Khoekhoegowab name !areb. This is mostly used by speakers of Afrikaans. Other Afrikaans names are ''Rosyntjiebos'' from ''rosyn (raisin)'' and ''bos ( bush)''. In the Sotho–Tswana languages, the names ''mosilabele'' in Southern Sotho, ''mokalabata'' in Northern Sotho and ''mosabele'' in Tswana are cognates. In Khelobedu, the names is and ''mushakaladza'' in Venda. Among Nguni languages the name ''umhlakotshane'' in Zulu and Xhosa is used and in Swati the nam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geophyte
A storage organ is a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy (generally in the form of carbohydrates) or water. Storage organs often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores. Plants that have an underground storage organ are called geophytes in the Raunkiær plant life-form classification system.; reprinted (1977) in ''History of ecology'' series, New York: Arno Press, Storage organs often, but not always, act as perennating organs which enable plants to survive adverse conditions (such as cold, excessive heat, lack of light or drought). Relationship to perennating organ Storage organs may act as perennating organs ('perennating' as in perennial, meaning "through the year", used in the sense of continuing beyond the year and in due course lasting for multiple years). These are used by plants to survive adverse periods in the plant's life-cycle (e.g. caused by cold, excessive heat, lack of light or drought). During these per ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wild Olive
Wild olive is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *'' Bontia daphnoides'' * Several species in the genus ''Elaeagnus'' (family Elaeagnaceae), particularly: **''Elaeagnus angustifolia'' **'' Elaeagnus latifolia'' *'' Halesia carolina'' (family Styracaceae) *''Nyssa aquatica'', an American swamp-growing tree (family Cornaceae) * ''Olea europaea'' subsp. ''cuspidata'' *''Olea oleaster ''Olea oleaster'', or wild olive, is a |
Restio
''Restio'' is a genus of flowering plants within the family Restionaceae, described in 1772.Rottbøll, Christen Friis. 1772. Descriptiones Plantarum Rariorum 9 The entire genus is endemic to the Cape Provinces and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. In common with a number of other genera in the Restionaceae, restios are widely cultivated for use as garden ornamentals for their attractive nodular foliage. They are mildly frost hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, .... ; Species * '' Restio acockii'' * '' Restio adpressus'' * '' Restio affinis'' * '' Restio albotuberculatus'' * '' Restio alticola'' * '' Restio andreaeanus'' * '' Restio anomalus'' * '' Restio arcuatus'' * '' Restio aridus'' * '' Restio asperus'' * '' Restio aureolus'' * '' Restio bifarius'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amaryllis
''Amaryllis'' () is the only genus in the subtribe Amaryllidinae (tribe Amaryllideae). It is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. The better known of the two, '' Amaryllis belladonna'', is a native of the Western Cape region of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest area between the Olifants River Valley and Knysna. For many years there was confusion among botanists over the generic names ''Amaryllis'' and ''Hippeastrum'', one result of which is that the common name 'amaryllis' is mainly used for cultivars of the genus ''Hippeastrum'', widely sold in the winter months for their ability to bloom indoors. Plants of the genus ''Amaryllis'' are known as belladonna lily, Jersey lily, naked lady, amarillo, Easter lily in Southern Australia or, in South Africa, March lily due to its propensity to flower around March. This is one of numerous genera with the common name 'lily' due to their flower shape and growth habit. However, they are only distantly related ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
