Hair can be an excellent identifying feature in plants as well as humans (and fortunately, plants don’t go round changing their hair style). It might be the presence or absence of hairs, or even the type of hairs, whether they are long or short, simple or star-shaped, or even glandular…
Clearing alien vegetation from the land is important to prevent further spread, but there is also the hope that somewhere beneath the impenetrable thicket some semblance of the native flora has remained intact. In the few places where aliens do grow on our land, they are not very thick. But…
Although very diverse, the genus Oxalis is easily recognisable. The leaves nearly always comprise of 3 leaflets that arise from a central point (there are a few species that have more leaflets or only one). The flowers are also very regular, made up of 5 petals that form a tube…
The beauty of the Cape heaths is one of the most notable attractions of the fynbos. Several species have large tubular flowers; many others produce numerous flowers that cover the plant. But not all Cape heaths produce such an eye-catching display. Brightly coloured flowers are usually adapted for animal pollinators,…
Gladiolus is not the first flower that one thinks of when asked to name a flower with good scent. It is true that the large florists’ gladioli have no scent to speak of, but many of the smaller flowered species have very attractive scent. At this time of the year,…
The genus Crassula contains a diverse range of succulent plants. They are sometimes known in South Africa as stonecrops but that common name is usually used for the related genus Sedum. Here at Phillipskop we have a Crassula that supposedly looks like an Erica; at least that is what its…
