Roggeveld Plateau
The Bokkeveld Plateau is an area in the Northern Cape. It harbours possibly the highest densities of geophytes (bulbous plants) in the world, and hence is referred to by the locals as The Bulb Capital of the World. These bulbs occur mainly in the mountain renosterveld, to a lesser degree in the succulent karoo vegetation, and least of all in the mountain fynbos. Around the town of Nieuwoudtville heavy grazing in the renosterveld suppresses the growth of perennials leading to spring displays of annuals and bulbs. Most of the rainfall occurs in winter and spring with peak flowering varying considerably from year to year, but typically between August and September. In March the autumn flowering hysteranthus (flowers appear when the leaves are dormant) Amaryllidaceae put on a spectacular display.
Nodes
Heliophila
Chamarea
Oxalis palmifrons
Ursinia
Crassula saxifraga
Arctotheca prostrata
Lachenalia
Anginon difforme
Crassula
Pages
Taxonomy term
Massonia
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For Francis Masson (1741–1805), British gardener and plant collector for Kew Gardens. He was sent by Sir Joseph Banks to collect plants in South Africa and sailed with Captain James Cook to the Cape, where he stayed from 1772–1775. Two of his three expeditions were made jointly with Carl Peter Thunberg, who named this genus for him. From 1786–1795, he visited Madeira, the Canary Islands and Azores, West Indies, North America and North Africa. He collected more than 500 specimens including, now household names, the bird-of-paradise flower Strelitzia reginae and the arum lily Zantedeschia aethiopica among others such as Gladioli, Lobelia, Geranium, Pelargonium, Protea and Mesembryanthemum. He authored Stapeliae Novae on new South African succulents he discovered (1796).
Massonia citrina
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From the Latin citrus = 'citrus' or 'lemon'; typically referring either to a lemon-yellow or a citrus smell
Medicago
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Gk. medike = a grass, lucerne, a kind of clover; also the Greek name for alfalfa, which came to Greece from Medea.
Monsonia
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For Lady Ann Monson (née Vane) (1714–1776), English naturalist and great-granddaughter of Charles II. In 1774, aged 60, she came to the Cape on her way to India. Carl Peter Thunberg (1743–1728), who had arrived two years earlier to collect plant specimens and learn Dutch, took Lady Ann to a number of farms adjacent to Cape Town. She seemingly had more interest in the animal kingdom than the floral one. Lady Ann corresponded with Linnaeus, who seemed besotted with her, and he named the genus in her honour, writing: ‘Nature has never produced a woman who is your equal – you are a phoenix among women.’
Moraea amabilis
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From the Latin amabilis, meaning 'lovable' or 'pleasant'
Mossia intervallaris
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From the Latin intervallum = 'interval'; possibly referring to the spaces between the leaves, flowers or inflorescences
Nemesia
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Gk. nemesion, nemeseion from nemo = to distribute, to enjoy, to pasture, to feed; or nemos = wooded pasture, glade, a grove; name used by Dioscorides for a similar plant, referring to their habitat.
Ornithogalum
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Gk. ornithos = bird; gala = milk, presumably referring to the colostrum-like, high fat secretions produced by the Colombidae (‘pigeon’s milk’) and stored in the crop for feeding the young. Maybe this somewhat resembles the gooey sap that exudes from the cut stems. Some authors suggest that the name merely refers to the milky whiteness of some flowers, while ‘bird’s milk’ to the ancient Greeks was a colloquial expression for something wonderful.
Ornithoglossum
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Gk. ornithos = bird; glossa = tongue; referring to the narrow tepals.
Othonna rhamnoides
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Latin from 'Rhamnus' and 'oides' meaning like
Oxalis
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From the Greek oxys = sharp, sour or acid and (h)als = salt. The plant is frequently consumed for its sour taste caused by the oxalic acid, particularly the flowering stalks of O. pes-caprae. In large quantities the oxalic acid inhibits digestion and in stock leads to the condition 'dikpens' or bloated belly.
Oxalis odorata
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From the Latin odoratus = ‘sweet-smelling / fragrant’