| Eriospermum capense | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Nolinoideae |
| Genus: | Eriospermum |
| Species: | E. capense |
| Binomial name | |
| Eriospermum capense Perry | |
Eriospermum capense is a species of geophytic plant of the genus Eriospermum , indigenous to the Western Cape Province, South Africa.
The leaf is heart-shaped (7,5 cm long, 6 cm wide), suberect-to-spreading, and appears from April to October (Winter in southern hemisphere). The leaf is dark-green above, and red on its underside. Sometimes the upper side also has reddish ridges. The tuber is irregular-to-pear-shaped, with reddish-purple flesh. This species flowers from November to March.
Several related species, such as Eriospermum breviscapum , Eriospermum pubescens and Eriospermum zeyheri , have a similar heart-shaped leaf.
However, the leaf of these species is usually prostrate; while the leaf of E.capense is more erect and spreading. The leaf of E.capense is also distinctly reddish on its underside, and slightly longer (75mm) than that of the other species (60mm) listed above.
There are other specific distinctions. The leaf of Eriospermum zeyheri for example, is a slightly lighter green above, and not reddish below; the leaf is held flat against the ground, and the flowers are also distinct. The leaf of Eriospermum breviscapum is fleshy and a more rounded heart-shape. [1]
Eriospermum capense is widespread and common in the south-western winter-rainfall regions of South Africa. [2]
Eriospermum is a genus of tuberous flowering plants. It contains about 80-100 species, native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Felicia aethiopica is a low shrublet of up to about 50 cm high that is assigned to the family Asteraceae. It has rigid, leathery, inverted egg-shaped leaves, with only the lowest pair set oppositely. It has flower heads with an involucre of about 8 mm in diameter with bracts that each contain three resin ducts, and have one whorl of twelve to fourteen ray florets with about 11 mm long and 1½ mm wide blue straps surrounding many yellow disc florets. The plant is called wild aster or dwarf Felicia in English, and wilde-aster or bloublombossie in Afrikaans. Flowering occurs year-round. Wild aster can be found in the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa.
Pelargonium cucullatum is a hairy, upright, branching, perennial shrub, of 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) high, that has been assigned to the cranesbill family. It sprouts new stems from the underground rootstock and becomes woody at its base. It has alternately set, sometimes slightly succulent leaves crowded near the top of the branches, with leaf stalks and flat to hood-shaped leaf blades, with a rounded broad triangular to kidney-shaped outline of about 4–5.5 cm long and 5–9 cm wide, often somewhat incised, the margin with irregular teeth. The white to purplish red, 5-merous, somewhat mirror symmetrical flowers grow in umbel-like clusters, and each contain mostly 7 fertile stamens and 3 infertile staminodes of different length. P. cucullatum has been cultivated as a garden ornamental and house plant since the 17th century. It has been used to breed many modern pelargonium hybrids, notably the Regal pelargoniums. It is called hooded-leaf pelargonium or herba althaea in English and wildemalva in Afrikaans.
Carpobrotus mellei is a succulent perennial of the family Aizoaceae, native to the inland mountain ranges of the Western Cape, South Africa.
Leucospermum hypophyllocarpodendron is a creeping, mat-forming shrub with heads of yellow flowers and leathery, upright narrow leaves with some red-tipped teeth at their tips, from the family Proteaceae. It has long thin branches that originate from an underground rootstock and grows on poor, sandy soils in southwestern South Africa. The rose-scented flower heads can be found for August to January and are visited by different monkey beetles, bees and flies. It has two subspecies, one with greyish leaves U-shaped in cross section called grey snakestem pincushion in English and gruisslangbossie in Afrikaans, the other with green leaves that are flat in cross-section called green snakestem pincushion and groenslangbossie.
Pelargonium coronopifolium is a subshrub of up to 40 cm high. It has green to slightly greyish, linear to narrowly elliptical leaves often with irregular teeth towards the tip and white to purple flowers in groups of one to four. It can be found in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Old publications suggested the name buck's horn plantain-leaved stork's bill, but this name never gained common use.
Eriospermum paradoxum ("haasklossie") is a species of geophytic plant of the genus Eriospermum, indigenous to southern Africa. Its habitat is sandy or rocky clay soils in arid winter-rainfall areas.
Eriospermum bowieanum is a species of geophytic plant of the genus Eriospermum, endemic to the Robertson Karoo region of the Western Cape Province, South Africa.
Eriospermum cooperi is a species of flowering plant of the Asparagaceae family. It is a summer rainfall species found in rocky grassland and open scrub from the Eastern Cape, South Africa to Zimbabwe. It has a solitary erect leaf, white to pale green flowers and grows to 60 cm. The outer tepals are sometimes reddish brown.
Eriospermum breviscapum is a species of geophytic plant of the genus Eriospermum, indigenous to South Africa.
Eriospermum dregei is a species of geophytic plant of the genus Eriospermum.
Eriospermum bayeri is a species of geophytic plant of the genus Eriospermum, indigenous to the Western Cape Province, South Africa.
Eriospermum proliferum is a species of flowering plant in the Asparagaceae family.
Eriospermum graminifolium is a species of geophytic plant of the genus Eriospermum, indigenous to South Africa.
Eriospermum zeyheri is a species of geophytic plant of the genus Eriospermum, indigenous to South Africa.
Eriospermum pubescens is a species of geophytic plant of the genus Eriospermum, indigenous to the southern Cape, South Africa.
Eriospermum lanceifolium is a species of geophytic plant of the genus Eriospermum.
Eriospermum exile is a species of geophytic plant of the genus Eriospermum, indigenous to South Africa.
Pauline Lesley Perry is a South African botanist, horticulturalist and plant collector.
