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Cape Parrot
The Cape parrot (''Poicephalus robustus'') or Levaillant's parrot is a large, temperate forest dwelling parrot of the genus ''Poicephalus'' endemic to South Africa. It was formerly grouped as a subspecies along with the savanna-dwelling brown-necked parrot (''Poicephalus fuscicollis'') and grey-headed parrot (''P. f. suahelicus''), but is now considered a distinct species. Taxonomy The Cape parrot was described in 1781 by the English ornithologist John Latham under the English name, the "robust parrot". When in 1788 the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin revised and expanded Carl Linnaeus's ''Systema Naturae'', he included the Cape parrot with a short description, coined the binomial name ''Psittacus robustus'' and cited Latham's work. The type locality is South Africa. The Cape parrot is now placed with nine other species in the genus ''Poicephalus'' that was introduced by the English naturalist William John Swainson in 1837. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek ''ph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is located in the southeast of the country, with a long shoreline on the Indian Ocean and sharing borders with three other provinces and the countries of Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg, and its largest city is Durban. It is the second-most populous province in South Africa, with slightly fewer residents than Gauteng. Two areas in KwaZulu-Natal have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park. These areas are extremely scenic as well as important to the surrounding ecosystems. During the 1830s and early 1840s, the northern part of what is now KwaZulu-Natal was established as the Zulu Kingdom while the southern part was, briefly, the Boer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58See the 2014 version of the ICS geologic time scale million years ago. It is the second and most recent epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Epoch and is followed by the Epoch. Prior to the 2009 revision of the geologic time sca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magoebaskloof
Magoebaskloof (Makgoba) Pass is situated in the Limpopo Province, on the R71, the road between Tzaneen and Polokwane, in South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the .... It is a lush green mountainous area, covered by natural evergreen subtropical forest. This is an area where the small kingdom of Makgoba lived before they were conquered by Afrikaners who occupied Tzaneen area prior to 1905. Today Magoebaskloof is a tourist attraction area which shows off its natural wonders such as the Debengeni (Dibekeni) waterfalls, Magoebaskloofdam and many forest hiking trails. Mountain passes of Limpopo {{Limpopo-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu is the name used for the district municipality. Pietermaritzburg is popularly called Maritzburg in Afrikaans, English and Zulu alike, and often informally abbreviated to PMB. It is a regionally important industrial hub, producing aluminium, timber and dairy products, as well as the main economic hub of Umgungundlovu District Municipality. The public sector is a major employer in the city due to local, district and provincial governments located here. The city has many schools and tertiary education institutions, including a campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It had a population of 228,549 in 1991; the current population is estimated at over 600,000 residents (including neighbouring townships) and has one of the largest populati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karkloof Forest
The Karkloof Forest is situated in the Karkloof Nature Reserve, 22 km north of Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This is a large (936ha) mistbelt forest containing yellowwoods (''Afrocarpus falcatus'', ''Podocarpus latifolius'' and ''Podocarpus henkelii'') and stinkwood (''Ocotea bullata''). Wildlife includes Samango monkey, blue duiker and bushbuck. Crowned eagles (''Stephanoaetus coronatus'') breed here, and the endangered Cape parrot ('' Poicephalus robustus robustus'') occurs here. Endemics to the area include a subspecies of crested guineafowl (''Guttera edouardi symonsi''), and a dwarf chameleon (''Bradypodion'' sp.) which is related to the Natal Midlands dwarf chameleon and the black-headed dwarf chameleon. Other birds found here include Knysna turaco (''Tauraco corythaix''), forest canary (''Crithagra scotops''), white-starred robin (''Pogonocichla stellata''), orange ground thrush (''Zoothera gurneyi''), red-throated wryneck The red-throated wryneck ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in 1994 out of the Xhosa homelands or bantustans of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province. The central and eastern part of the province is the traditional home of the indigenous Xhosa people. In 1820 this area which was known as the Xhosa Kingdom began to be settled by Europeans who originally came from England and some from Scotland and Ireland. Since South Africa's early years, many Xhosas believed in Africanism and figures such as Walter Rubusana believed that the rights of Xhosa people and Africans in general, could not be protected unless Africans mobilized and worked together. As a result, the Eastern Cape is home to many anti-apartheid leaders such as Robert Sobukwe, Oliver Tambo, Nelson M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amathole Mountains
Amatola, Amatole or Amathole are a range of densely forested mountains, situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The word ''Amathole'' means ‘calves’ in Xhosa, and Amathole District Municipality, which lies to the south, is named after these mountains. Geology The Amathole Mountains form part of the southern portion of the Great Escarpment, rising over 1,800 metres above sea level. The escarpment slopes are densely covered in ancient forests of yellowwoods, white stinkwoods, Cape chestnuts and other indigenous trees. Deep indigenous woods like Kologha and Kubusie are some of the largest swaths of forest in South Africa. The mountains are capped with flower-rich montane grassland. Albany thickets also feature prominently in the surrounding area. The mountains are famous for their scenic beauty with lush forests, ravines, waterfalls and panoramic views. The six-day Amatola hiking trail is one of the top hiking trails in South Africa. The Amatola Mountains’ g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Podocarpus Henkelii
''Podocarpus henkelii'' (Henkel's yellowwood, af, Henkel-se-Geelhout, xh, Umsonti, zu, Umsonti) is a South African species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is grown ornamentally in gardens for its strikingly neat, attractive form and its elegant, drooping foliage. Description An attractive ornamental tree, this is one of the most recognisable of the yellowwoods. It can easily be distinguished from its close relatives by its long, slender, drooping leaves. It has a straight, well-formed trunk and naturally assumes a pyramid-shape as it grows, eventually becoming very tall (30m). Like all yellowwoods, this tree is dioecious, with separate male and female trees. As conifers they produce cones, although it is their fruit-like seeds that are most prominent. These seeds are eaten and distributed by birds. The fleshy coating of the seed contains a germination inhibitor so being eaten actually helps germination by removing this coating. Distribution Henkel's yellowwood is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Podocarpus Falcatus
''Afrocarpus falcatus'' (syn. ''Podocarpus falcatus'') is a species of tree in the family Podocarpaceae. It is native to the montane forests of southern Africa, where it is distributed in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and Eswatini. Common names include common yellowwood, bastard yellowwood, outeniqua yellowwood, African pine tree, weeping yew,''Afrocarpus falcatus'' (Thunb.) C.N.Page. Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA). af, outeniekwageelhout, ''kalander'', st, mogôbagôba, xh, umkhoba and zu, umsonti.Protected Trees. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Republic of South Africa. 3 May 2013. It is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Podocarpus Latifolius
''Podocarpus latifolius'' (broad-leaved yellowwood or real yellowwood, af, Opregte-geelhout, nso, Mogôbagôba, xh, Umcheya, zu, Umkhoba) is a large evergreen tree up to 35 m high and 3 m trunk diameter, in the conifer family Podocarpaceae; it is the type species of the genus ''Podocarpus''. The real yellowwood has been declared the national tree of South Africa and is protected there. Appearance The real yellowwood is a large evergreen tree that grows up to 30 meters in height. It grows relatively slowly but forms a wood of exceptional quality. The leaves are strap-shaped, 25–40 mm long on mature trees or up to 100 mm long on young trees, and 6–12 mm broad, with a bluntly pointed tip. The species name ''"latifolius"'' is Latin for "broad-leaved". The bright-coloured foliage of new growth stands out against the dark leaves of mature foliage. The cones of this dioecious tree are berry-like, with a single (rarely two) 7–11 mm seed apical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terminalia (plant)
''Terminalia'' is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising nearly 300 species distributed in tropical regions of the world. The genus name derives from the Latin word ''terminus'', referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots. Selected species There are 282 accepted ''Terminalia'' species as of April 2021 according to Plants of the World Online. Selected species include: *'' Terminalia acuminata'' (Fr. Allem.) Eichl. *''Terminalia albida'' Scott-Elliot *''Terminalia amazonia'' (J.F.Gmel.) Exell – white olive *'' Terminalia arbuscula'' Sw. *'' Terminalia archipelagi'' Coode *''Terminalia arjuna'' (Roxb. ex DC.) Wight & Arn. – arjuna, koha, white marudah *''Terminalia arostrata'' Ewart & O.B.Davies – crocodile tree *''Terminalia australis'' Cambess – palo amarillo, tanimbú *''Terminalia avicennioides'' *''Terminalia bellirica'' (Gaertn.) Roxb. – beleric *''Terminalia bia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commiphora
The genus of the myrrhs, ''Commiphora'', is the most species-rich genus of flowering plants in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae. The genus contains approximately 190 species of shrubs and trees, which are distributed throughout the (sub-) tropical regions of Africa, the western Indian Ocean islands, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and South America.Weeks, A. and Simpson, B.B. 2007. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Commiphora (Burseraceae) yields insight on the evolution and historical biogeography of an “impossible” genus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 42:62–79. The genus is drought-tolerant and common throughout the xerophytic scrub, seasonally dry tropical forests, and woodlands of these regions. The common name myrrh refers to several species of the genus, from which aromatic resins are derived for various fragrance and medicinal uses by humans. Description Leaves in ''Commiphora'' are pinnately compound (or very rarely unifoliolate). Many spec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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