Central Karoo of the Groot Karoo (W. Cape)
At the north-eastern extent of the Western Cape of South Africa, and in the south-eastern corner of the arid Groot Karoo, lies the Central Karoo. Centred around Beaufort West, known as the "Jewel of the Groot Karoo". This has a patchy rainfall that is primarily summer-rainfall. It frequently undergoes long periods of drought. It is primarily used as grazing land for cattle, sheep, ostriches and sometimes goats.
Nodes
Gazania
Sarcocaulon
Sesamum capense
Hermannia erodioides
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Taxonomy term
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.
Sarcocaulon
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Gk. sarx, sarkos (sarco) = flesh; kaulon = stem; referring to the fleshy appearance of the stem.
Sesamum capense
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From the Cape Province of South Africa, previously known as the Cape Colony. In the early days of exploration this epithet was frequently applied to anywhere in South or even Southern Africa.