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Species Cards

Plectranthus zuluensis

The Zulu spurflower is cultivated locally and internationally as a flowering ornamental plant, valued for its velvety foliage and blue to mauve blooms.

Zulu spurflower

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Plectranthus saccatus

This species is cultivated locally and internationally as a flowering ornamental. Compared with other members of the genus it has relatively large flowers and is easy to propagate.

Stoep jacaranda

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Plectranthus fruticosus

The Spurflower is grown locally and internationally as a flowering ornamental plant.

Spurflower

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Wachendorfia brachyandra

Wachendorfia brachyandra is one of only five known species worldwide that exhibits floral asymmetry in the form of enantiostyly. Studying this species will help improve understanding of pollination adaptations in fynbos plants.

Short-stamen butterfly-lily

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Arctotis acaulis

The species is endemic to South Africa and has contributed to hybrids that are grown commercially as ornamentals worldwide. It is common throughout the Western Cape and is a conspicuous and important component of fynbos and renosterveld.

Renostergousblom

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Aloe pearsonii

Rising temperatures and prolonged drought in the Richtersveld (2015–2020) caused major die-offs of Pearson's Aloe, which has very low recruitment and grows extremely slowly.

Pearson's Aloe

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Pachypodium namaquanum

These trees are said in Nama folklore to be people turned into plants, forever facing north toward their lost homeland. Pachypodium namaquanum is highly poisonous and difficult to grow outside the Richtersveld.

Halfmens

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Dicoma capensis

Eaten by insects and pollinated by bees, Dicoma capensis is used in traditional medicine to treat colds, fever, back pain, haemorrhoids, bladder infections, kidney problems, influenza, nausea, liver problems, stomach problems, diarrhea, and rheumatism, and as a bitter tonic.

Fever bush

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Clivia mirabilis

Clivia mirabilis survives in an unusually arid environment compared with other Clivia species, which is why it is known as the “miracle lily”.

Miracle Clivia Lily

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Erica sessiliflora

Erica sessiliflora is significant for its unique sunbird pollination and its fire-adapted serotiny. Endemic to South Africa, it is valued as a garden shrub that attracts birds. Sequencing its genome improves biodiversity knowledge and supports conservation.

Green heath

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Erica plukenetii subsp. lineata

Erica plukenetii subsp. lineata is declining due to severe invasion by alien plants on the Agulhas Plain and is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Plukenet's heath

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Indigofera hamulosa

This species is native to the Cape provinces. Although little has been published specifically on Indigofera hamulosa, species in this genus are used in traditional medicine to treat gastrointestinal, inflammatory, skin, respiratory, and infectious conditions.

Flummoxed Indigo

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