Africa Wild Tree & Shrub Book - Order Proteales

Discussions and information on all Southern African Plants

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Toko
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Re: Africa Wild Tree & Shrub Book - Order Proteales

Post by Toko »

72. Wild Almond Brabejum stellatifolium (Wildeamandel)
Order: Proteales. Family: Proteaceae

This tree is famous in South Africa for being used to make Van Riebeeck's Hedge, the first formal boundary marker between the new Cape colony and the indigenous people of the Cape.

Image © Flutterby
Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Description
A large shrub or small tree, often multi-stemmed, with spreading branches. The canopy is widespread in mature trees, with sparse branches reaching almost to the ground. Young trees tend to be upright, becoming sparse with age. The plant resprouts from the base after fire. The bark is smooth and pale greyish-brown. On the twigs, there is noticeably thicker bark, in raised rings, where the ‘stars’ of leaves converge. The leathery, simple leaves are narrowly elliptic, with conspicuously toothed margins. The leaves are yellowish to dark green with a network of fine veins visible on both the upper- and lower-surfaces (100 – 160 x 15 – 25 mm). Masses of delicate, small, sweet-smelling flowers, with protruding stamens, grow in spikes.Whorls of 10 – 15 flower-spikes are clumped together in the angles between the leaves and stems (Dec – Jan) (Flower: 5 mm; spike: up to 90 mm). Rusty-brown to golden hairs cover the young leaves. The broadly almond-shaped fruit is purple-red at first, and matures to rusty brown. Mature fruit is densely covered by velvety, rusty-brown hairs (Feb – May) (20 – 50 x 35 mm).

Distribution
South African endemic to the Western Cape, from Gifberg near Clanwilliam to the Hottentots Holland to Klein Rivier Mountans and from the Cape Peninsula to the Riviersonderend Mountains to Riversdale. On the Cape Peninsula, they are abundant on the eastern side of Table Mountain and there are many growing beside the streams that pass through Kirstenbosch.

Habitat
Wild almond trees are confined to the fynbos biome and can most often be found growing near streams on the lower slopes and in sheltered valleys.

Links: Kirstenbosch NBG: Van Riebeeck's Hedge; How to Identify Trees in Southern Africa. Braam Van Wyk, Piet Van Wyk; Southern African Trees: A Photographic Guide. Piet Van Wyk


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Toko
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Re: Africa Wild Tree & Shrub Book - Order Proteales

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075. Willow Beechwood, African Beech Faurea saligna (Bosveldboekenhout)
Order: Proteales. Family: Proteaceae

Image © Toko

Image © Toko

Image © Toko
Marakele National Park

Description
A small- to medium-sized, slender, semi-deciduous tree, 7-10 (max. 20) m in height; stem straight or twisted, sometimes swollen at the base, with a diameter of nearly 60 cm. Bark dark greyish-brown to almost black, rough and deeply fissured longitudinally. A spreading, fairly sparse crown develops with age, young branchlets pendent and conspicuously red.
Leaves leathery, long, pointed, narrow, alternate, simple, 6.5-16 x 1.3-2.5 cm, droop downwards gracefully, sometimes somewhat sickle shaped, shiny, fresh green to yellowish-green, turning red in autumn, young leaves pink to bright rosy red, tapering to the base and apex; margin entire, wavy, slightly curved; petiole up to 2 cm long, pink; main vein red, side veins join up to form a long vein just within the margin. Flowers in slender spikes, 12-15 x 2-3 cm, greenish to creamy white during the flowering stage, mauve or pinkish-white in the fruiting stage, honey scented, stalkless; calyx red and hairy.
Fruit a small nutlet, club shaped, brown, with long silky white or yellow hairs, containing a single spherical, hairy seed and slender, persistent, red styles which appear as woolly pinkish-white spikes.
In southern Africa, flowering occurs from August to February, depending on rainfall, and fruiting from October to April.

Distribution
Found from tropical Africa south to Swaziland and South Africa (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West).

Habitat
In open woodland and on grassy hillsides, often in large communities on sandy soil and along stream beds.

Links: PlantZAfrica


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Re: Africa Wild Tree & Shrub Book - Order Proteales

Post by Klipspringer »

98.2. Dwarf Savanna Sugarbush, Cluster-head Sugarbush Protea welwitschii
Order Proteales. Family Proteaceae

Dwarf Savanna Sugarbush Protea welwitschii.jpg
Dwarf Savanna Sugarbush Protea welwitschii.jpg (74.51 KiB) Viewed 452 times
Marakele National Park, Lenong drive (valley bottom) Jan 2021 © Harrys

Description
Usually in small colonies. A shrub up to 1.5m tall with numerous stems arising from a rootstock.
It has stems with dense, long, white or brown hairs, glaucous when mature. Leaves alternate, linear (50-120 x 15-95 mm) with dense, white or brown hairs, hairless when mature except at bases.
Flowerhead in clusters of 3-4, strongsickly-sweet, honey-like odour. Outer surface of bracts sparsely to densely covered with white to brown silky hairs. Petals 20-50 mm long. Bracts pale yellowish to brown, flowers creamy-white, turning rusty brown with age, very hairy.
Sexual system: Both sexes in each flower. Flowering time: December to May, mainly January to February.
Fruit a hairy nutlet. Released 9-12 months after flowering.
Seed dispersal: Wind. Seed storage: Released to lie on the ground.
Similar species: Protea gaguedi

Distribution
Angola, DR Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa (Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal).

Habitat
Varied, 300-2000m. Woodland, wooded grassland, rocky hillsides.

Ecology
Fire survival: Resprouts from underground bole.
Pollinated by beetles and birds.

Links:
https://books.google.de/books?id=RpVJJH ... ts&f=false


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