Say the word “gentian” and immediately a deep blue colour is conjoured up. But members of the gentian family, Gentianaceae, in South Africa are anything but blue. Chironia linoides is one of these members of the Gentianaceae and flowers at Phillipskop through the summer from November to January. Its flowers…
Merciera leptoloba is a member of the bellflower family, Campanulaceae. As the common family name suggests, most members of this family have bell-shaped flowers, i.e. with a broad tube. (Indeed, the scientific name is also based on the Latin for bell: campana.) But as in many families, there is a…
Members of the genus Berzelia are popular as indigenous cut-flowers. They are easily recognisable as they have clusters of numerous small ball-shaped flowerheads. But identifying the species within the genus is another matter. The commonest species in the south-western Cape is Berzelia lanuginosa, which grows and often dominates wet marshy…
Of the eight species of sundew, Drosera, at Phillipskop, Drosera cistiflora has the largest and most beautiful flowers. The flowers are in shades of white to pinkish white and 5 to 6cm across. At the base of each petal is a very dark iridescent spot. This spot attracts the primary…
Common names are often descriptive but few are as ironic in their description as that of Climber’s Friend, Cliffortia ruscifolia. Climber’s Friend is a member of the Rose Family, Rosaceae, and the most recognized member of the large Cape genus, Cliffortia. The species is well-known for growing amongst rocks and…
It is not just animals that are nocturnal, some flowers also come into their own as dusk gathers. Hesperantha radiata is one of these flowers. During daylight hours, the dark red outer petals are closed firmly around the anthers and style. The flowers are almost invisible to a passerby and…
