Color Encyclopedia of Cape Bulbs

by Manning, John C.

• ISBN13: 9780881925470
• ISBN10: 0881925470
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-12-31
• Publisher: Timber Pr

Summary

The Cape Region, at the southern tip of Africa, is easily among the richest centers for bulbous plants and probably the most famous. Nearly 1200 species of bulbous plants find their home there and almost three-quarters of them occur nowhere else. This first complete account of all the bulbous plants of the Cape Floral Region is an essential aid to the identification of all species presently in cultivation as well as the many others that are potentially valuable horticultural subjects. The book is richly illustrated with high-quality color photographs of more than half the species of Cape bulbs, many of which have never before been illustrated.

Author Biography

Dee Snijman is a research scientist at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town.

Table of Contents

Preface	7	(2)
Bulbs at the Cape	9	(22)
Exploration of the Cape Flora	11	(6)
Vegetation of the Cape	17	(2)
Climate, Geology, and Soils of the Cape	19	(4)
Biogeography of the Cape	23	(8)
Bulbs in the Garden	31	(10)
Bulb Structure	33	(2)
Bulb Cultivation	35	(6)
Families of Cape Bulbs	41	(12)
Agapanthaceae	43	(1)
Alliaceae	43	(1)
Amaryllidaceae	44	(1)
Araceae	45	(1)
Asphodelaceae	45	(1)
Colchicaceae	46	(1)
Haemodoraceae	46	(1)
Hyacinthaceae	47	(1)
Hypoxidaceae	48	(1)
Iridaceae	49	(2)
Lanariaceae	51	(1)
Ruscaceae	52	(1)
Tecophilaeaceae	52	(1)
Bulbs of the Cape	53	(364)
Agapanthus	53	(2)
Albuca	55	(6)
Allium	61	(1)
Amaryllis	62	(1)
Ammocharis	63	(1)
Androcymbium	64	(4)
Apodolirion	68	(2)
Aristea	70	(7)
Babiana	77	(13)
Baeometra	90	(1)
Bobartia	91	(3)
Boophone	94	(1)
Bowiea	95	(1)
Brunsvigia	96	(4)
Bulbinella	100	(7)
Chasmanthe	107	(1)
Clivia	108	(2)
Crinum	110	(1)
Crossyne	111	(2)
Cyanella	113	(2)
Cybistetes	115	(1)
Cyrtanthus	116	(8)
Daubenya	124	(3)
Devia	127	(1)
Dierama	128	(1)
Dietes	129	(1)
Dilatris	130	(3)
Dipcadi	133	(1)
Drimia	134	(8)
Empodium	142	(3)
Eriospermum	145	(9)
Eucomis	154	(1)
Ferraria	155	(3)
Freesia	158	(4)
Geissorhiza	162	(18)
Gethyllis	180	(6)
Gladiolus	186	(31)
Haemanthus	217	(5)
Hesperantha	222	(9)
Hessea	231	(3)
Hypoxis	234	(2)
Ixia	236	(12)
Kniphofia	248	(3)
Lachenalia	251	(13)
Lanaria	264	(2)
Lapeirousia	266	(6)
Ledebouria	272	(2)
Massonia	274	(2)
Melasphaerula	276	(1)
Micranthus	277	(2)
Moraea	279	(31)
Neodregea	310	(1)
Neopatersonia	310	(1)
Nerine	311	(2)
Onixotis	313	(2)
Ornithogalum	315	(10)
Ornithoglossum	325	(2)
Pauridia	327	(1)
Pillansia	328	(1)
Polyxena	329	(3)
Romulea	332	(20)
Scadoxus	352	(1)
Scilla	353	(1)
Sparaxis	354	(7)
Spiloxene	361	(6)
Strumaria	367	(5)
Syringodea	372	(2)
Thereianthus	374	(3)
Tritonia	377	(5)
Tritoniopsis	382	(10)
Tulbaghia	392	(2)
Veltheimia	394	(1)
Wachendorfia	395	(2)
Walleria	397	(2)
Watsonia	399	(9)
Whiteheadia	408	(1)
Wurmbea	409	(3)
Xenoscapa	412	(1)
Zantedeschia	413	(4)
Keys to Species	417	(52)
Agapanthus	417	(1)
Albuca	417	(1)
Androcymbium	418	(1)
Apodolirion	419	(1)
Aristea	419	(2)
Babiana	421	(2)
Bobartia	423	(1)
Boophone	423	(1)
Brunsvigia	423	(1)
Bulbinella	424	(1)
Chasmanthe	424	(1)
Crinum	424	(1)
Crossyne	424	(1)
Cyanella	424	(1)
Cyrtanthus	425	(1)
Daubenya	426	(1)
Dilatris	426	(1)
Dipcadi	426	(1)
Drimia	426	(1)
Empodium	427	(1)
Eriospermum	427	(2)
Eucomis	429	(1)
Ferraria	430	(1)
Freesia	430	(1)
Geissorhiza	430	(4)
Gethyllis	434	(1)
Gladiolus	435	(6)
Haemanthus	441	(1)
Hesperantha	442	(1)
Hessea	443	(1)
Hypoxis	443	(1)
Ixia	444	(2)
Kniphofia	446	(1)
Lachenalia	446	(3)
Lapeirousia	449	(1)
Ledebouria	450	(1)
Massonia	450	(1)
Micranthus	450	(1)
Moraea	450	(6)
Nerine	456	(1)
Onixotis	456	(1)
Ornithogalum	456	(2)
Ornithoglossum	458	(1)
Pauridia	458	(1)
Polyxena	458	(1)
Romulea	459	(2)
Scadoxus	461	(1)
Sparaxis	462	(1)
Spiloxene	462	(1)
Strumaria	463	(1)
Syringodea	464	(1)
Thereianthus	464	(1)
Tritonia	464	(1)
Tritoniopsis	465	(1)
Tulbaghia	466	(1)
Veltheimia	466	(1)
Wachendorfia	466	(1)
Watsonia	466	(2)
Wurmbea	468	(1)
Zantedeschia	468	(1)
Conversion Table	469	(1)
Specialist Suppliers	470	(1)
Glossary	471	(4)
References	475	(6)
Index of Synonyms	481	(4)
Index of Common Names	485

Excerpts

The Cape Floral Region is a botanical anomaly. Not only does it have more plant species than would be anticipated given its latitude and climate, it is also home to far more bulbous plants than anywhere else in the world. Its flora is in fact so singular in many respects that the region is classified as one of the world's six floral kingdoms. This is truly remarkable given the unusually small area occupied by the Cape Floral Region, only 0.04% of the earth's land surface. The other floral kingdoms, in comparison, occupy all or most of one or more continents. Elsewhere in the world the number of plant species per unit area increases form temperate to tropical latitudes and from arid or semiarid habitats to well-watered ones. The Cape Floral Region defies these trends. Although it lies well within the temperate zone and most of it experiences a semiarid climate of low annual rainfall and summer drought, it is nevertheless home to about 9000 plant species in an area of only 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 square miles). This is more species than the species-rich, wet tropics of Panama, which covers a comparable area, and only slightly fewer than in Costa Rica, another tropical area of comparable size. Comparisons between the floras of regions with a Mediterranean climate, which characterizes much of the Cape Floral Region, only emphasize the remarkable richness of the Cape flora. California, for instance, which is recognized as having a rich and diverse flora, actually only supports about 5000 species (just over half the number found in the Cape flora) in an area more than three times larger than the Cape Floral Region. Another peculiarity of the Cape flora is its remarkably high level of endemism. Almost 70% of the species in the Cape flora are found nowhere else on earth. This level of endemism is characteristic of isolated oceanic islands and is unique for a continental flora. Photos: Above left: Babiana rubrocyanea - photo by Ker Gawler. Below: Moraea macrocarpa - photo by Peter Goldblatt.