Erica afra

Last updated

Erica afra
Erica caffra (2).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Erica
Species:
E. afra
Binomial name
Erica afra
L., 1753
Varieties [2]
  • Erica afra var. afra
  • Erica afra var. auricularis(Salisb.) Bolus
Synonyms [ citation needed ]
  • Erica caffra

Erica afra [3] is a small tree, sometimes a shrub, that grows in riparian habitats and on forest edges and occurs from the Western Cape to the Drakensberg of KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. [2] [4] The tree's flowers look like bells. The tree's national tree number is 572. [5]

Taxonomy

The etymology of the original species name caffra is related to kaffir, an ethnic slur used towards black people in Africa. At the July 2024 International Botanical Congress, a vote was held with the result that "caffra" related names will be emended to afra related ones, with the implementation of this being done at the end of July 2024. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Sclerocarya birrea</i> Species of tree

Sclerocarya birrea, commonly known as the marula, is a medium-sized deciduous fruit-bearing tree, indigenous to the miombo woodlands of Southern Africa, the Sudano-Sahelian range of West Africa, the savanna woodlands of East Africa and Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kei apple</span> Species of tree

Dovyalis afra, commonly known as the Kei apple, is a small to medium-sized tree, native to southern Africa. Its distribution extends from the Kei River in the south, from which the common name derives, northwards along the eastern side of the continent to Tanzania. The ripe fruits are tasty, reminiscent of a small apple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaffir (racial term)</span> Ethnic slur used to refer to a black person

Kaffir, also spelled Cafri, is an exonym and an ethnic slur – the use of it in reference to black people being particularly common in South Africa. In Arabic, the word kāfir ("unbeliever") was originally applied to non-Muslims before becoming predominantly focused on pagan zanj who were increasingly used as slaves. During the Age of Exploration in early modern Europe, variants of the Latin term cafer were adopted in reference to non-Muslim Bantu peoples even when they were monotheistic. It was eventually used, particularly in Afrikaans, for any black person during the Apartheid and Post-Apartheid eras, closely associated with South African racism. While originally not pejorative, it became a pejorative by the mid-20th century and is now considered extremely offensive hate speech. Punishing continuing use of the term was one of the concerns of the Promotion of Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act enacted by the South African parliament in the year 2000 and it is now euphemistically addressed as the K-word in South African English.

<i>Intsia bijuga</i> Species of tree in the family Fabaceae

Intsia bijuga, commonly known as Borneo teak, ipil, Johnstone River teak, and kwila, amongst many other names, is a species of tree in the flowering plant family Fabaceae, native to coastal areas from east Africa, through India and Southeast Asia to Australia and the western Pacific. It has significant importance to indigenous cultures in many parts of its range, but is also threatened by illegal logging due to its high quality timber. It is most commonly found in tropical coastal forests.

<i>Eupomatia laurina</i> Species of plant in the family Eupomatiaceae

Eupomatia laurina, commonly named bolwarra, native guava or copper laurel, is a species of plant in the primitive flowering-plant family Eupomatiaceae endemic to Australia and New Guinea.

<i>Combretum afrum</i> Species of flowering plant

Combretum afrum, commonly known as Cape bushwillow, is a species of tree native to South Africa. It is endemic to the Cape Provinces.

<i>Mimusops zeyheri</i> Species of tree

Mimusops zeyheri is a medium-sized evergreen tree belonging to the family Sapotaceae and widely distributed in rocky places from the east coast of southern Africa, inland and northwards to tropical Africa. It is commonly known as the moepel or Transvaal red milkwood. It is closely related to Mimusops obovata and M. afra, both of which are South African trees.

<i>Protea afra</i> Species of African sugarbush

Protea afra, native to South Africa, is a small tree or shrub which occurs in open or wooded grassland, usually on rocky ridges. Its leaves are leathery and hairless. The flower head is solitary or in clusters of 3 or 4 with the involucral bracts a pale red, pink or cream colour. The fruit is a densely hairy nut. The species is highly variable and has several subspecies.

<i>Jubaeopsis</i> Monotypic genus of palms

Jubaeopsis afra, the Pondoland palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family (Arecaceae). It belongs to the monotypic genus Jubaeopsis.

<i>Poupartia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Poupartia is a genus of plant in family Anacardiaceae. From the islands of Madagascar, Mauritius, Rodrigues, and Réunion, all in the Indian Ocean.

<i>Erythrina afra</i> Species of legume

Erythrina afra, the coast coral tree or African coral tree, is a tree native to southeastern Africa, which is often cultivated and has introduced populations in California and India. All the 17 species of coral tree in the genus Erythrina are collectively considered the official tree of Los Angeles, California in the United States.

<i>Melaleuca ericifolia</i> Species of tree

Melaleuca ericifolia, commonly known as swamp paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and the genus Melaleuca, native to south-eastern Australia. It is a rather variable species and some specimens resemble Melaleuca armillaris but its papery bark and smaller, more prolific flower heads distinguish it from that species. It often grows in swampy areas and the draining and clearing of these has reduced the numbers of the species, especially around Port Philip Bay near Melbourne. It is also similar to Melaleuca pustulata, a Tasmanian endemic, but that species only grows in dry heath.

<i>Rauvolfia afra</i> Species of flowering plant

Rauvolfia afra is a tree in the family Apocynaceae. It is commonly known as the quinine tree. These trees are distributed from the Eastern Cape of South Africa to tropical Africa and are found in low-lying forests near rivers and streams, or on floodplains.

<i>Mimusops afra</i> Species of tree

Mimusops afra is a species of tree in family Sapotaceae. This tree is found in coastal dune vegetation in Southern Africa from the Eastern Cape, through KwaZulu-Natal to southern Mozambique.

<i>Encephalartos afer</i> Species of cycad

Encephalartos afer, commonly known as the Eastern Cape dwarf cycad, is a species of cycad in the genus Encephalartos. It is a near threatened species native to South Africa.

<i>Senegalia afra</i> Species of legume

Senegalia afra, also known as hook-thorn or Acacia afra, is a tree that occurs commonly in southern Africa. Though it is cultivated, it often occurs naturally in Gauteng suburban gardens, together with Acacia karroo and Acacia robusta.

<i>Nothorites</i> Monotypic genus of plants in the family Proteaceae

Nothorites is a monotypic genus in the macadamia family Proteaceae. The sole species, Nothorites megacarpus, is endemic to the wet tropics rain forests of northeastern Queensland, Australia.

<i>Harpephyllum</i> Genus of trees

Harpephyllum is a genus of trees in the family Anacardiaceae. The sole species is Harpephyllum afrum, a dioecious evergreen species from South Africa and Mozambique that is also cultivated. The fruit is edible.

<i>Ximenia afra</i> Species of shrub

Ximenia afra, the sourplum, is a small tree or small shrub that is thinly branched. It is part of the Olacaceae family which is native throughout tropical regions. In particular, the sourplum is native to regions in South East Africa, mainly Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Sourplum fruits are generally sour, with a dry aftertaste, and contain significant amounts of potassium. The tree is fairly hardy, with frost resistance and drought tolerance. The tree, fruit, seed, leaves, and roots are all used for human consumption, medicinally, or for fuel.

<i>Afrosciadium afrum</i> Species of flowering plant

Afrosciadium afrum is a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae. It is a perennial tuberous herb native to subtropical regions of South Africa and Lesotho.

References

  1. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. 2019. Erica caffra. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T143722238A143722240. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T143722238A143722240.en. Accessed on 3 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Erica afra L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  3. Callaway, Ewen (2024). "Hundreds of racist plant names will change after historic vote by botanists" . Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-024-02365-x. PMID   39026072. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  4. "Erica caffra | PlantZAfrica". pza.sanbi.org. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  5. "National List Of Indigenous Trees". Treetags. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  6. McKie, Robin (20 July 2024). "Botanists vote to remove racist reference from plants' scientific names". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 21 July 2024.