Anisodontea capensis

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Anisodontea capensis
Anisodontea capensis3.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Anisodontea
Species:
A. capensis
Binomial name
Anisodontea capensis
Synonyms [2]
List
    • Althaea africana(Mill.) Borbás
    • Malva balsamicaJacq.
    • Malva capensisL.
    • Malva debilisSalisb.
    • Malva dillenianaEckl. & Zeyh.
    • Malva divaricataAndrews
    • Malva microphyllaE.Mey. ex Harv.
    • Malva odorataWestc.
    • Malva oxyacanthoidesEckl. & Zeyh. ex Harv.
    • Malva virgataCav.
    • Malva virgataMurray
    • Malva viscosaSalisb.
    • Malvastrum capense(L.) Garcke
    • Malvastrum divaricatum(Andrews) Garcke
    • Malvastrum virgatumA.Gray & Harv.
    • Malveopsis capensis(L.) Kuntze
    • Malveopsis divaricata(Andrews) Kuntze
    • Malveopsis virgata(A.Gray & Harv.) Kuntze

Anisodontea capensis, known as African mallow, dwarf hibiscus, Cape mallow and false mallow, is a species in the tribe Malveae in the family Malvaceae that is native to South Africa. [3] It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as an ornamental. [4]

Contents

Description

Flower close-up Anisodontea capensis2.jpg
Flower close-up

It is an upright, dense subshrub that grows 1m to 1.5m tall and 90cm wide, and is found at altitudes of 670 to 2167 meters. It features green, hairy branches 2mm in length that age to brownish grey. Leaves are simple and ovate, palmately veined and three-lobed, 1mm in length. It has a woody base, so it is not a true herbaceous plant. During a cold spell, it may lose some of its leaves. [5]

From late winter or early spring to the first frost, it would display fuchsia, mauve or pink flowers with red centres that are borne in clusters with 5 petals, 1mm in diameter, resembling a hibiscus. [6]

Cultivation

The plant does well in Mediterranean style gardens, in containers and as a hedge. They thrive in well-drained soils with organic matter and must be watered regularly during hot and dry spells. Some light pruning is encouraged to promote bushy and compact growth.

It can be propagated from tip cuttings done in the summer, and as well by seed (which should be sown on the surface). It can bloom all year long provided it is protected from frost. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Hibiscus</i> Genus of plants

Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species are renowned for their large, showy flowers and those species are commonly known simply as "hibiscus", or less widely known as rose mallow. Other names include hardy hibiscus, rose of sharon, and tropical hibiscus.

<i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> Species of flowering plant

Hibiscus syriacus is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is native to south-central and southeast China, but widely introduced elsewhere, including much of Asia. It was given the epithet syriacus because it had been collected from gardens in Syria. Common names include the rose of Sharon,, Syrian ketmia, shrub althea, and rose mallow. It is the national flower of South Korea and is mentioned in the South Korean national anthem.

<i>Hibiscus rosa-sinensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the mallow family Malvaceae

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, known colloquially as Chinese hibiscus, China rose, Hawaiian hibiscus, rose mallow and shoeblack plant, is a species of tropical hibiscus, a flowering plant in the Hibisceae tribe of the family Malvaceae. It is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions, but is not known in the wild, so that its native distribution is uncertain. An origin in some part of tropical Asia is likely. It is widely grown as an ornamental plant in the tropics and subtropics.

<i>Drosera aliciae</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Drosera aliciae, the Alice sundew, is a carnivorous plant in the family Droseraceae. It is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa, like Drosera capensis, the cape sundew, and is one of the most common sundews in cultivation. The plant forms small, tight rosettes of wedge-shaped leaves, up to 5 cm in diameter. Under conditions of good lighting, the insect-snagging tentacles will become deeply coloured with anthocyanin pigments, which probably aid in its attraction of insect prey. The plant is relatively easy to grow, and produces attractive scapes of pink flowers, which are held about 30 cm away from the carnivorous leaves, so as to prevent pollinators from becoming ensnared. D. aliciae is very similar in form to a number of other closely related species such as D. slackii, and D. natalensis: the former is rather larger with a slightly different growth habit(8 cm diameter); the latter has hairier stipules and a larger distance between leaf base and the “sticky” trichomes.

<i>Drosera capensis</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Drosera capensis, commonly known as the Cape sundew, is a small rosette-forming carnivorous species of perennial sundew native to the Cape in South Africa. Because of its size, easy to grow nature, and the copious amounts of seed it produces, it has become one of the most common sundews in cultivation, and thus, one of the most frequently introduced and naturalised invasive Drosera species.

<i>Hibiscus acetosella</i> Species of flowering plant

Hibiscus acetosella, the cranberry hibiscus or African rosemallow, is a flowering plant of the genus Hibiscus or rosemallow. The word acetosella is of Latin origin and is derived from an old name for sorrel (Oxalis) which comes from the sour taste experienced when eating the young leaves of the plant. Hibiscus acetosella is also known colloquially as false roselle, maroon mallow, red leaved hibiscus, and red shield hibiscus. It is one of the approximately 200–300 species that are seen in sub-tropic and tropic regions. This ornamental is usually found in abandoned fields or open areas, marshes, and forest clearings. Cranberry hibiscus is a member of a perennial group known as hardy hibiscus. In contrast to the tropical hibiscus, hardy hibiscus can tolerate colder conditions, are more vigorous, longer lasting, and have larger flowers. In colder climates, Hibiscus acetosella is easily an annual, but is often regarded as a perennial to zone 8–11. During one season, the plant can grow 90–170 cm (3.0–5.6 ft) tall and 75 cm (30 in) wide as a shrub-subshrub.

<i>Abelmoschus moschatus</i> Species of plant

Abelmoschus moschatus is an aromatic and medicinal plant in the family Malvaceae native to Asia and Australia.

<i>Tecoma capensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Tecoma capensis, the Cape honeysuckle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Bignoniaceae, native to southern Africa. Despite its common name, it is not closely related to the true honeysuckle.

<i>Plumbago auriculata</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Plumbago auriculata, the cape leadwort, blue plumbago or Cape plumbago, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to South Africa.

<i>Hibiscus schizopetalus</i> Species of flowering plant

Hibiscus schizopetalus is a species of Hibiscus native to tropical eastern Africa in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. Its common names include fringed rosemallow, Japanese lantern, coral hibiscus, and spider hibiscus.

<i>Eucomis autumnalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Eucomis autumnalis, the autumn pineapple flower, or autumn pineapple lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to Malawi, Zimbabwe and southern Africa. It is a mid to late summer flowering deciduous bulbous perennial. The flower stem reaches about 40 cm (16 in), rising from a basal rosette of wavy-edged leaves. The green, yellow or white flowers are arranged in a spike (raceme), topped by a "head" of green leaflike bracts. It is grown as an ornamental garden plant and can also be used as a cut flower.

<i>Anisodontea</i> Genus of South African plants

Anisodontea is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Malveae of the mallow family Malvaceae. It comprises twenty-one species native to South Africa. Members of the genus typically bear toothed leaves with three or five palmate, uneven lobes. Members of the genus also typically bear flowers with a pubescent calyx, a five-petaled corolla streaked from the center and pink to magenta in color, and stamens with anthers of a dark color.

<i>Aloiampelos striatula</i> Species of flowering plant

Aloiampelos striatula, formerly Aloe striatula, the hardy aloe or striped-stemmed aloe, is a sturdy succulent plant that naturally occurs on the summits of mountains along the south of the Karoo region of South Africa. Tough and hardy, with bright yellow flowers, it is also cultivated as a garden ornamental.

<i>Veltheimia capensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Veltheimia capensis is one of two species of flowering plants belonging to the genus Veltheimia, of the family Asparagaceae. It is a tender bulbous perennial reaching a height of 46 cm (18 in), with flowers varying in color from white with red spots to pink with green or red markings.

<i>Crassula ovata</i> Species of succulent

Crassula ovata, commonly known as jade plant, lucky plant, money plant or money tree, is a succulent plant with small pink or white flowers that is native to the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, and Mozambique; it is common as a houseplant worldwide. Much of its popularity stems from the low levels of care needed; the jade plant requires little water and can survive in most indoor conditions. It is sometimes referred to as the money tree; however, Pachira aquatica also has this nickname.

<i>Protea pendula</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea pendula, also known as the nodding sugarbush or arid sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea, in the family Proteaceae, which is only found growing in the wild in the Cape Region of South Africa. In the Afrikaans language it is known as knikkopsuikerbossie or ondersteboknopprotea.

<i>Protea sulphurea</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea sulphurea, also known as the sulphur sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea in the family Proteaceae, which is only known to grow in the wild in the Western Cape province of South Africa. A vernacular name for the plant in the Afrikaans language is heuningkoeksuikerbos or Skaamblom.

<i>Protea burchellii</i> Species of flowering plant

Protea burchellii, also known as Burchell's sugarbush, is a flowering shrub in the genus Protea, which is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa.

<i>Protea decurrens</i> South African shrub

Protea decurrens, also known as linear-leaf sugarbush, is a shrub of the genus Protea, in the Proteaceae family, which is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa. It is a small shrub with a thick underground rootstock, this structure throwing up numerous leafy branches, upon the base of which clusters of flower heads may appear close to the ground. It is pollinated by rodents and grows in low-altitude fynbos or renosterveld.

Kedrostis africana is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae. It is native to Namibia and South Africa. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as an ornamental.

References

  1. D.M. Bates Gentes Herbarum 10(3): 311–314, f. 15 1969
  2. "Anisodontea capensis (L.) D.M.Bates". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  3. Anisodontea capensis (African Mallow)
  4. "Anisodontea capensis Cape mallow". The Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  5. S.R. Hill, A Monograph of the Genus Malvastrum (Appendix III), Rhodora 84: 372-409 (1982)
  6. The Anisodontea Pages: Anisondontea capensis 2004 Stewart Robert Hinsley
  7. Cape mallow, all about caring for Anisodontea Nature & Garden