| Fockea edulis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Apocynaceae |
| Genus: | Fockea |
| Species: | F. edulis |
| Binomial name | |
| Fockea edulis | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Fockea edulis is a species of caudiciform plant in the family Apocynaceae that is native to the Cape Provinces and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. [1]
The plant was first described as Pergularia edulis by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1794. It was renamed Fockea edulis in 1895 by Karl Moritz Schumann. [1]
A common name is Hottentot bread due to the milky, somewhat sweetish flavour of the edible root which is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use. The plant's latex is said to be poisonous. [2] In Afrikaans the plant is called bergbaroe, bergkambroo, kambaroo, kambroo, kambro, koe or hotnotswaatlemoen. In Khoi it is called !Koo, !Ku, or !Kuu. [3] [4]
A semi-deciduous perennial caudiciform with fat, twisted grey roots. In the wild, the caudex is partially or totally buried and tends to grow faster this way, reaching up to 60 cm in diameter. According to succulent authority Hermann Jacobsen, it occasionally atains to a diameter of ten feet (three meters) and is shaped like a immense turnip. [5] The thin vine branches may reach a length of up to 4 meters, and climb on any type of available support. The leaves are green, entire and oblong.
Fockeas are dioecious, so a male plant and a female plant are needed to produce seeds. The flowers are whitish-green, not very showy but lightly scented, small (0.6-1.5 cm wide) vygie-like flowers surrounded by a large, thick, spider-like calyx. The flowers are pollinated by fruit flies. The plant produces grey-greenish seed pods.
This species is widespread in southern Africa where it grows in warmer drier areas, dry savanna, and rocky slopes. It is of easy cultivation and hardy when kept reasonably dry and watered only enough to keep the tuber from shriveling. Although it shows decreased activity in the January – April period, it never goes into complete dormancy and always carries some leaves. Plants cannot tolerate more than occasional light frosts with temperatures dropping as low as -2 °C. [6]
Carpobrotus edulis is a ground-creeping plant with succulent leaves in the genus Carpobrotus, native to South Africa. Its common names include hottentot-fig, sour fig, ice plant, vygie or highway ice plant.
Leuchtenbergia is a genus of cactus which has only one species, Leuchtenbergia principis. It is native to north-central Mexico. The genus is named after Maximilian Eugen Joseph (1817–1852), Duke of Leuchtenberg and amateur botanist.
Cordeauxia edulis is a plant in the family Fabaceae and the sole species in the genus Cordeauxia. Known by the common name yeheb bush, it is one of the economically most important wild plants of the Horn of Africa, but it is little known outside of its distribution area. It is a multipurpose plant, which allows the survival of nomads by providing them with seeds. Further, the bush serves forage for livestock, firewood and dye. Its wild population is currently declining. Because it is potentially valuable for other hot, dry regions as a resource for food and fodder, it is recommended to take measures against its extinction.
Kigelia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae. The genus consists of only one species, Kigelia africana, which occurs throughout tropical Africa. The so-called sausage tree grows a poisonous fruit that is up to 60 cm long, weighs about 7 kg, and resembles a sausage in a casing.
Cotyledon orbiculata, commonly known as pig's ear or round-leafed navel-wort, is a South African succulent plant belonging to the genus Cotyledon.
Agave salmiana is a species of the family Asparagaceae, native to central and southern Mexico. It is also reportedly naturalized in South Africa, Italy and Spain, specially in the Canary Islands.
Crassula arborescens—the silver jade plant, silver dollar (jade) plant, beestebul, Chinese jade, cookie plant, money plant, or money tree, that is endemic to Western Cape, South Africa, is a species of succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae.
Delonix edulis (Malagasy:Tara) is a species of edible wild plant native to southwest Madagascar. The plant grows in semi-arid tropical zones with annual rainfall less than 400 mm, from sea level up to 100 meters elevation.
Ipomoea arborescens, the tree morning glory, is a rapidly-growing, semi-succulent flowering tree in the family Convolvulaceae. This tropical plant is mostly found in Mexico, and flowers in late autumn and winter. Its common name in Nahuatl is Cazahuatl or Cazahuate.
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.
Mitrophyllum is a genus of succulent plants of the family Aizoaceae, indigenous to the arid region around the Richtersveld, on the border of South Africa and Namibia.
Cyphostemma mappia is a species of caudiciform succulent plant endemic to Mauritius. It is sometimes known as the "Mauritian baobab", though it is member of the grape family (Vitaceae) and unrelated to the true Baobabs of Africa.
Fockea multiflora, or python vine, is a plant of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, native to Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, including the Caprivi Strip, and Malawi. It is a large semisucculent liana, growing to some 15m in length and up to 60 cm in diameter, found primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.
Tulista pumila ("Vratjiesaalwee") is a species of Tulista succulent plant, from the Western Cape, South Africa.
Cyrtocarpa edulis is a species of perennial sarcocaulescent tree commonly known as the Cimarrón plum or Cape wild-plum. It is in the genus Cyrtocarpa, and is endemic to Baja California Sur. This plant is characterized by fleshy stems, twisted branches and an edible drupe.
Carpobrotus modestus, commonly known as inland pigface, is a succulent perennial of the family Aizoaceae, native to Australia. It produces purple flowers which mature into fruits and is mainly used as a groundcover succulent or as a drought tolerant plant.
Kedrostis africana is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae. It is native to Namibia and South Africa.
Cheiridopsis purpurea is a species of succulent plant from South Africa. It is found growing in the succulent Karoo vegetation type.
Adromischus alstonii is a species of succulent plant from the family Crassulaceae. The species name is the namesake of Edward Garwood Alston, who was a plant enthusiast from Cape Province, South Africa. A. alstonii is endemic to the Succulent Karoo in the Northern Cape, South Africa.
Adromischus bicolor is a perennial, succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae. The species name bicolor refers to the light, grey-green leaves spotted with purple to purple-green spots. It is endemic to the Succulent Karoo of western South Africa, as well as the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Media related to Fockea edulis at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Fockea edulis at Wikispecies