The Durban Natural Science Museum - a museum about the earth,

its history and life on earth, both past and present.

R5-00 ? Volume 4 ? Number 2 ? September 2001

The Magazine of the Durban Natural Science Museum

3

Contents

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

found to replace them in terms of economy and availability, especially in rural districts. The gourd is indeed a gift from the wild.

Although some are poisonous to humans, the foliage and fruit of others provide food, while the great variety of shapes and sizes produced by the ripened, hard-rinded fruit offer a myriad of potential uses. In many inventive ways gourds are fashioned into spoons and vessels of all sorts, musical instruments, tobacco pipes and ornaments; the uses are limited only by the boundaries of one’s imagination.

The vivid watercolour by Professor Esmé Hennessy, featured on the cover,

Natural Science Natters

The World Around You: 11 - 13 July 2001

Holiday courses for school pupils, this year replacing the Museum’s Winter Science Festival, proved to be a great success. On “Beautiful Bird Day” are (below left) a group of budding artists colouring in images of a sunbird and (above right) another group listens to Alastair McInnes describe the finer points of bird identification with the help of “Roberts’ Bird Game” on the computer. A sense of intense concentration pervades on the “Bug and Spider Day” (above centre) as Cheryl Whitmore assists budding entomologists create weird and wonderful insects from sugar moulds and generous daubs of food colouring.

Above: At the invitation of Bat Conservation International (BCI), Dr Peter Taylor led a bat tour to the Maasai Mara and Taita Hills regions of Kenya during May. Dr Taylor (back row, right) with Kenyan tour guides, museum scientists and members of BCI, at Taita Discovery Centre, which adjoins Tsavo National Park.

Invertebrates

The Flower Hunters - Masters of Disguise

1418

Museum News

Natural Science Natters

Obituary: Dr Phillip Alexander Clancey 1917 - 2001

2

19

Birds

The Rare Birds of Kwazulu-Natal

R5-00 ? Volume 4 ? Number 2 ? September 2001

Cover Story

f the many plant-derived products Oused by the peoples

of Africa, few are as useful or as versatile as those derived from

gourds. The value of the gourd was recognised in the distant past, when the survival of a people depended upon its ingenuity in the use of items found in the

environs. Indeed, by its very nature the gourd-family of plants lends itself to many imaginative uses, few of which have altered over the years. This, in itself is a measure of the enduring usefulness of gourds; little else has been

illustrates a measure of the variety existing in both foliage and fruit of the gourd family. In the article on page 4, Professors Hennessy and Koopman have collaborated in a marriage of two disciplines, Botany and Ethnology. Their account provides a fascinating insight into but one aspect of the daily life of our peoples that is inextricably linked to the plants around us. In the distant past of African history, the gourd was an essential part of life and still remains so. Time has not diminished its importance nor has it provided a superior replacement - surely an indication that the gourd is Africa’s symbol of fruitfulness and abundance, a veritable “horn of plenty”.

2

4

7

Cover Story

Gourds - Africa’s Cornucopia

Imifino - Streetwise Spinach

Ethnobotany

Below: A gathering was held in the Phillip Clancey Gallery at the Museum after the memorial service in the Frere Road Presbyterian Church for the late Dr Clancey. In conversation during the gathering are the Museum’s Director, Dr Brett Hendey (left), and Chairman of the Trust, Mr David Bennett (right).

KwaZulu-Natal Wildflowers - Our Gift to the World

10

Botany

The Day of the Triffids17

Conservation

2

Durban Natural Science Museum

Durban Natural Science Museum Trust

ChairmanMr David Bennett

MembersDr Q B Hendey (Secretary/Treasurer) Mrs N F ArmstrongProfessor M R Cooper Dr F M MeerDr E A Zaloumis

Palmnut Post

Director Dr Brett HendeyEmail: bretth@crsu.durban.gov.za

Editor Mrs Tessa HedgeEmail: nsmstaff@crsu.durban.gov.za

Art Director & Designer Mr Andrew Carter Email: carterca@crsu.durban.gov.za

Palmnut Post is a non-profit educational magazine and contributions to the Durban Natural Science Museum Trust are welcomed.

Palmnut Post is published by the Durban Natural Science Museum PO Box 4085 Durban 4000

Tel: (031) 3112240Fax: (031) 3112242Email: bretth@crsu.durban.gov.za

Copyright. Contents copyright protected; all rights reserved. Any queries in this regard should be directed to the Editor. Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publishers or the Editor, who reserve the right to amend articles. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure accuracy of information, the Publisher and Editor cannot be held responsible for any errors or views expressed. Readers are invited to express their opinions to the Editor.

Cover illustration by Prof. Esmé Hennessy

Andrew

Carter

Peter Taylor

Andrew

Carter

Andrew

Carter

Andrew

Carter

The Magazine of the Durban Natural Science Museum

3

Contents

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

found to replace them in terms of economy and availability, especially in rural districts. The gourd is indeed a gift from the wild.

Although some are poisonous to humans, the foliage and fruit of others provide food, while the great variety of shapes and sizes produced by the ripened, hard-rinded fruit offer a myriad of potential uses. In many inventive ways gourds are fashioned into spoons and vessels of all sorts, musical instruments, tobacco pipes and ornaments; the uses are limited only by the boundaries of one’s imagination.

The vivid watercolour by Professor Esmé Hennessy, featured on the cover,

Natural Science Natters

The World Around You: 11 - 13 July 2001

Holiday courses for school pupils, this year replacing the Museum’s Winter Science Festival, proved to be a great success. On “Beautiful Bird Day” are (below left) a group of budding artists colouring in images of a sunbird and (above right) another group listens to Alastair McInnes describe the finer points of bird identification with the help of “Roberts’ Bird Game” on the computer. A sense of intense concentration pervades on the “Bug and Spider Day” (above centre) as Cheryl Whitmore assists budding entomologists create weird and wonderful insects from sugar moulds and generous daubs of food colouring.

Above: At the invitation of Bat Conservation International (BCI), Dr Peter Taylor led a bat tour to the Maasai Mara and Taita Hills regions of Kenya during May. Dr Taylor (back row, right) with Kenyan tour guides, museum scientists and members of BCI, at Taita Discovery Centre, which adjoins Tsavo National Park.

Invertebrates

The Flower Hunters - Masters of Disguise

1418

Museum News

Natural Science Natters

Obituary: Dr Phillip Alexander Clancey 1917 - 2001

2

19

Birds

The Rare Birds of Kwazulu-Natal

R5-00 ? Volume 4 ? Number 2 ? September 2001

Cover Story

f the many plant-derived products Oused by the peoples

of Africa, few are as useful or as versatile as those derived from

gourds. The value of the gourd was recognised in the distant past, when the survival of a people depended upon its ingenuity in the use of items found in the

environs. Indeed, by its very nature the gourd-family of plants lends itself to many imaginative uses, few of which have altered over the years. This, in itself is a measure of the enduring usefulness of gourds; little else has been

illustrates a measure of the variety existing in both foliage and fruit of the gourd family. In the article on page 4, Professors Hennessy and Koopman have collaborated in a marriage of two disciplines, Botany and Ethnology. Their account provides a fascinating insight into but one aspect of the daily life of our peoples that is inextricably linked to the plants around us. In the distant past of African history, the gourd was an essential part of life and still remains so. Time has not diminished its importance nor has it provided a superior replacement - surely an indication that the gourd is Africa’s symbol of fruitfulness and abundance, a veritable “horn of plenty”.

2

4

7

Cover Story

Gourds - Africa’s Cornucopia

Imifino - Streetwise Spinach

Ethnobotany

Below: A gathering was held in the Phillip Clancey Gallery at the Museum after the memorial service in the Frere Road Presbyterian Church for the late Dr Clancey. In conversation during the gathering are the Museum’s Director, Dr Brett Hendey (left), and Chairman of the Trust, Mr David Bennett (right).

KwaZulu-Natal Wildflowers - Our Gift to the World

10

Botany

The Day of the Triffids17

Conservation

2

Durban Natural Science Museum

Durban Natural Science Museum Trust

ChairmanMr David Bennett

MembersDr Q B Hendey (Secretary/Treasurer) Mrs N F ArmstrongProfessor M R Cooper Dr F M MeerDr E A Zaloumis

Palmnut Post

Director Dr Brett HendeyEmail: bretth@crsu.durban.gov.za

Editor Mrs Tessa HedgeEmail: nsmstaff@crsu.durban.gov.za

Art Director & Designer Mr Andrew Carter Email: carterca@crsu.durban.gov.za

Palmnut Post is a non-profit educational magazine and contributions to the Durban Natural Science Museum Trust are welcomed.

Palmnut Post is published by the Durban Natural Science Museum PO Box 4085 Durban 4000

Tel: (031) 3112240Fax: (031) 3112242Email: bretth@crsu.durban.gov.za

Copyright. Contents copyright protected; all rights reserved. Any queries in this regard should be directed to the Editor. Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publishers or the Editor, who reserve the right to amend articles. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure accuracy of information, the Publisher and Editor cannot be held responsible for any errors or views expressed. Readers are invited to express their opinions to the Editor.

Cover illustration by Prof. Esmé Hennessy

Andrew

Carter

Peter Taylor

Andrew

Carter

Andrew

Carter

Andrew

Carter

The Magazine of the Durban Natural Science Museum

54

Gourds - Africa’s Cornucopia

based on words for gourds and calabashes tell us about the central role played by these vegetables in the cultural life of the Zulu people.

Eaten as vegetables, the gourd family also provides the Zulu people with a wide variety of different containers, spoons, ladles, vessels, jars and flasks, and then adds to the musical side of society by

doubling up as rattles and resonators to various instruments. A. T. Bryant, in his 1949 The Zulu People, states:

“The gourd-plant (iselwa) common throughout the Sudan and Bantuland,

must be reckoned, we think, among the aboriginal vegetables. The largest kind of

gourd, the iselwa proper, was used as food by the Zulus only when young.

More generally, it was left to mature; whereupon, the dried internal pulp having been

removed. The smooth woody shells, sometimes a foot in diameter, provided the people with light and cool milk (igula) and water (isigubu) vessels.”

What Bryant says is true: the gourd is used either for food, or as a container or other utensil of some kind. Usually, only a small proportion of the crop is eaten, while the major part is left to

grow big, old and dry. Only in times of famine will the whole crop

be used as food.

The diverse uses made of the dried, hollow gourd-shells depend on the shape of the fruit, which is varied: round, pear-shaped, long-necked and so on. As we see in the Bryant quote above, the growing plant and its fruit, when eaten as a vegetable, is known as iselwa (plur. amaselwa). The basic word for the dried shell, used as a container, is isigubhu (plur. izigubhu). This word also refers to the calabash when it functions as a beer or water flask. In its role as a vessel for the fermentation and storage of “maas”, the

The word “gourd” is a general term for the fruit of the Family of plants to which pumpkins, cucumbers, calabashes and

melons belong. The Family, Cucurbitaceae, takes its name from the Latin word for a gourd, Cucurbita, which is also used as the scientific name for the genus in which pumpkins, squashes and marrows are placed. Similarly, the ancient Latin name for cucumbers and melons, Cucumis, is used as a generic name and the ancient Greek word for a flask provided the generic name Lagenaria for the calabashes and their relatives. Technically, a gourd is a berry with a hard, leathery or tough rind, correctly called a “pepo”.

The flowers of members of this Family are unisexual. In some genera both male and female flowers appear on the same plant: such plants are monoecious e.g. Momordica and pumpkins. In other genera there are separate male and female plants and the plants are then described as dioecious e.g. Coccinia. A few genera have both monoecious and dioecious species. The more than 100 genera of the Family occur naturally only in the warmer regions of the world. All the cultivated (domesticated) members are monoecious and most are annual or perennial climbers or stragglers.

Mankind has used the fruit and, less so, the leafy shoots and tuberous roots of some of these plants as foodstuffs since prehistory. Some wild species, all bitter tasting, are poisonous, therefore not edible but, if used cautiously, some may have token medicinal value as purgative anthelmintics to expel intestinal worms.

The fruit of edible species, when ripe, provide water (they comprise about 90% water), sugars (about 5% or less), and, particularly if yellow- or red-fleshed, precursors of Vitamin A. The green parts of edible species also contribute Vitamins

B and C to the diet. Edible seeds, when ground to a meal or roasted and peeled, provide oil and protein that is rich in the essential sulphur-containing amino acids cystine and methionine. The tuberous roots of a few species such as the cultivated “su-su”, Sechium, and several wild species provide carbohydrates and some water.

calabash is known as an igula (plur. amagula). In this case a small hole (umunge, umbhotshozelwa) is bored in the bottom to let out the whey (umlaza).

Smaller calabashes may be used as fat containers (umfuma), and as medicine (muthi) containers. In the latter case they may be decorated with a pattern of beads which indicate to the inyanga (herbalist) what particular preparation he has put inside. A small, round, decorated calabash may also be used for snuff, in the same way as the fruit of the Monkey Orange (Strychnos spinosa), in which case it is known as ishungu (plur. amashungu). The ishungu is seldom found nowadays, having been replaced by the small decorated tin known as idosha, a word which has been adopted from the Dutch doosje (little box).

Spoons and ladles, likewise, have their home in the gourd family. A pear-shaped

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

The fruit of the genus Luffa may be cooked and eaten when very young, but if allowed to mature and rot, its network of veins persists, providing a bath-sponge known as a “loofah”.

Bottle gourds or calabashes are edible (although may be purgative) if cooked and eaten when very young. They have a wealth of other uses which derive from the fact that the skin and flesh dry completely by maturity, leaving a hard, weather- and water-proof shell containing the loose dry seeds.

“Musa ukusiphula izinselwa njegaba Thwa”, runs the Zulu proverb. “Don’t uproot your calabash plants as the San people do”, in other words, don’t destroy what will be useful to you later on. And there is also the Zulu expression “kwafa igula lamasi” - “the calabash of sour-milk broke” i.e. “our last hopes were dashed”. These and other expressions

Above left: A dried gourd in the classic bottle-shape, before it is fashioned into an isigubhu.

Above right: This grass-covered igula (bottle gourd) with a sturdy handle, reflects the maker’s flair.

Left: A pair of fine izikeshekeshe (rattles).

Below: A selection of izinkezo used to ladle all manner of liquids.

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian Koopman

Coccinia rehnannii (top and left centre), Lagenaria sphaerica (centre bottom), Momordica balsamina (right). Female (upper right) and male flowers (lower right).

gourd split lengthwise and used as a scoop is known as indebe, while a calabash with a long curved neck used as a handle and with the ‘bowl’ part cut out, is the inkezo, which is used for ladling out beer and other liquids.

Finally, dried calabashes add to the musical life of the Zulu people. Attached to a stick, and with the seeds left inside, they make fine rattles (izikheshekheshe). They also provide resonators for stringed instruments such as the umakhweyane bow instrument. Indeed, an alternative name for the umakhweyane is ugubhu, a word derived from the old Bantu root pubu (calabash).

Amaselwa: A group of green gourds (left), just harvested. They will probably be used to make izinkezo (ladles).Basket-weave base, head and limbs attached to a decorated gourd make charming little tortoises (right).

54

Gourds - Africa’s Cornucopia

based on words for gourds and calabashes tell us about the central role played by these vegetables in the cultural life of the Zulu people.

Eaten as vegetables, the gourd family also provides the Zulu people with a wide variety of different containers, spoons, ladles, vessels, jars and flasks, and then adds to the musical side of society by

doubling up as rattles and resonators to various instruments. A. T. Bryant, in his 1949 The Zulu People, states:

“The gourd-plant (iselwa) common throughout the Sudan and Bantuland,

must be reckoned, we think, among the aboriginal vegetables. The largest kind of

gourd, the iselwa proper, was used as food by the Zulus only when young.

More generally, it was left to mature; whereupon, the dried internal pulp having been

removed. The smooth woody shells, sometimes a foot in diameter, provided the people with light and cool milk (igula) and water (isigubu) vessels.”

What Bryant says is true: the gourd is used either for food, or as a container or other utensil of some kind. Usually, only a small proportion of the crop is eaten, while the major part is left to

grow big, old and dry. Only in times of famine will the whole crop

be used as food.

The diverse uses made of the dried, hollow gourd-shells depend on the shape of the fruit, which is varied: round, pear-shaped, long-necked and so on. As we see in the Bryant quote above, the growing plant and its fruit, when eaten as a vegetable, is known as iselwa (plur. amaselwa). The basic word for the dried shell, used as a container, is isigubhu (plur. izigubhu). This word also refers to the calabash when it functions as a beer or water flask. In its role as a vessel for the fermentation and storage of “maas”, the

The word “gourd” is a general term for the fruit of the Family of plants to which pumpkins, cucumbers, calabashes and

melons belong. The Family, Cucurbitaceae, takes its name from the Latin word for a gourd, Cucurbita, which is also used as the scientific name for the genus in which pumpkins, squashes and marrows are placed. Similarly, the ancient Latin name for cucumbers and melons, Cucumis, is used as a generic name and the ancient Greek word for a flask provided the generic name Lagenaria for the calabashes and their relatives. Technically, a gourd is a berry with a hard, leathery or tough rind, correctly called a “pepo”.

The flowers of members of this Family are unisexual. In some genera both male and female flowers appear on the same plant: such plants are monoecious e.g. Momordica and pumpkins. In other genera there are separate male and female plants and the plants are then described as dioecious e.g. Coccinia. A few genera have both monoecious and dioecious species. The more than 100 genera of the Family occur naturally only in the warmer regions of the world. All the cultivated (domesticated) members are monoecious and most are annual or perennial climbers or stragglers.

Mankind has used the fruit and, less so, the leafy shoots and tuberous roots of some of these plants as foodstuffs since prehistory. Some wild species, all bitter tasting, are poisonous, therefore not edible but, if used cautiously, some may have token medicinal value as purgative anthelmintics to expel intestinal worms.

The fruit of edible species, when ripe, provide water (they comprise about 90% water), sugars (about 5% or less), and, particularly if yellow- or red-fleshed, precursors of Vitamin A. The green parts of edible species also contribute Vitamins

B and C to the diet. Edible seeds, when ground to a meal or roasted and peeled, provide oil and protein that is rich in the essential sulphur-containing amino acids cystine and methionine. The tuberous roots of a few species such as the cultivated “su-su”, Sechium, and several wild species provide carbohydrates and some water.

calabash is known as an igula (plur. amagula). In this case a small hole (umunge, umbhotshozelwa) is bored in the bottom to let out the whey (umlaza).

Smaller calabashes may be used as fat containers (umfuma), and as medicine (muthi) containers. In the latter case they may be decorated with a pattern of beads which indicate to the inyanga (herbalist) what particular preparation he has put inside. A small, round, decorated calabash may also be used for snuff, in the same way as the fruit of the Monkey Orange (Strychnos spinosa), in which case it is known as ishungu (plur. amashungu). The ishungu is seldom found nowadays, having been replaced by the small decorated tin known as idosha, a word which has been adopted from the Dutch doosje (little box).

Spoons and ladles, likewise, have their home in the gourd family. A pear-shaped

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

The fruit of the genus Luffa may be cooked and eaten when very young, but if allowed to mature and rot, its network of veins persists, providing a bath-sponge known as a “loofah”.

Bottle gourds or calabashes are edible (although may be purgative) if cooked and eaten when very young. They have a wealth of other uses which derive from the fact that the skin and flesh dry completely by maturity, leaving a hard, weather- and water-proof shell containing the loose dry seeds.

“Musa ukusiphula izinselwa njegaba Thwa”, runs the Zulu proverb. “Don’t uproot your calabash plants as the San people do”, in other words, don’t destroy what will be useful to you later on. And there is also the Zulu expression “kwafa igula lamasi” - “the calabash of sour-milk broke” i.e. “our last hopes were dashed”. These and other expressions

Above left: A dried gourd in the classic bottle-shape, before it is fashioned into an isigubhu.

Above right: This grass-covered igula (bottle gourd) with a sturdy handle, reflects the maker’s flair.

Left: A pair of fine izikeshekeshe (rattles).

Below: A selection of izinkezo used to ladle all manner of liquids.

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian Koopman

Coccinia rehnannii (top and left centre), Lagenaria sphaerica (centre bottom), Momordica balsamina (right). Female (upper right) and male flowers (lower right).

gourd split lengthwise and used as a scoop is known as indebe, while a calabash with a long curved neck used as a handle and with the ‘bowl’ part cut out, is the inkezo, which is used for ladling out beer and other liquids.

Finally, dried calabashes add to the musical life of the Zulu people. Attached to a stick, and with the seeds left inside, they make fine rattles (izikheshekheshe). They also provide resonators for stringed instruments such as the umakhweyane bow instrument. Indeed, an alternative name for the umakhweyane is ugubhu, a word derived from the old Bantu root pubu (calabash).

Amaselwa: A group of green gourds (left), just harvested. They will probably be used to make izinkezo (ladles).Basket-weave base, head and limbs attached to a decorated gourd make charming little tortoises (right).

6 7

Imifino – Streetwise Spinach

ereals, or plants belonging to the grass family (Poaceae or CGramineae) have formed the

staple diets of most people for millennia, and still do so. In southern Africa, leaf vegetables are also an important food source and, unlike the cereal crops (sorghum, millet, maize), such plants are all around us. You have probably seen members of the genus Amaranthus without realising it.

In many parts of southern Africa, leaf vegetables are traditionally cooked and eaten with porridge as ‘pot herbs’. Broadly speaking, such plants used in the manner of spinach are collectively known as imifino (Xhosa and Zulu) or morogo (Sotho). Included among imifino are Cleome gynandra, Chenopodium album, Bidens pilosa, Sonchus oleraceus, Solanum nigrum, Portulaca oleracea, Urtica dioica, a number of Amaranthus species and the leaves of pumpkin and calabash. Of all the wild, edible plants in southern Africa, few are as well-known or as widely used as members of the Family Amaranthaceae, to which Amaranthus hybridus belongs. Widely referred to as imbuya in Zulu, it is also known colloquially as marog (Sotho), gewone

misbredie (Afrikaans) and common pigweed. Reflecting its widespread occurrence and popularity, some books list as many as twenty-five common names for this plant, indicating its use among Afrikaans, English, Pondo, Sotho, Swati, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu people.

Amaranthus hybridus is a cosmopolitan weed, thought to be indigenous to tropical America, where the amaranths are one of the oldest food crops. It is perhaps the most abundant, widely distributed weed in southern Africa and is the most commonly cultivated imbuya. It is a weed that is found on disturbed soil, old crop lands, along railway lines and roadsides, on cultivated land and around kraals. Amaranthus thunbergii, A. spinosus, A. deflexus and A. hypochondriachus are also widely used as leaf vegetables and all, except A. hypochondriachus, grow as weeds in southern Africa. Amaranths are also grown for their seeds and are known in parts of Latin America as quinoa, or Inca wheat. Amaranthus cruentus, A. hypochondriachus and A. caudatus are well-known grain amaranths from southern and northern Mexico and the Andes, respectively. The seeds of grain amaranths are nutritious, containing high levels of the amino acid, lysine, and are thus a useful supplement to cereals such as maize and wheat.

In Durban, Amaranthus species occur commonly on pavements and building

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

Amaranthus viridis – found throughout the tropics and subtropics of the world and common on the pavements of the Berea in Durban.

The seed of a grain amaranth, probably Amaranthus hypochondriacus. It is promoted by the Valley Trust’s Social Plant Use Programme to help demonstrate the contribution that wild resources can make to nutrition.

Mr. Joseph Ntseare, from the Durban Botanic Gardens, with Amaranthus hybridus subspecies cruentus, which he grows in order to collect seeds for distribution at a community gardening project in Avoca Hills, where he is a volunteer teacher. Joseph teaches participants to intercrop imbuya between rows of spinach, cabbage, turnips and beetroot.

1Professor Esmé Hennessy and Professor 2Adrian Koopman ,

1Research Centre for Plant Growth & Development, School of Botany & Zoology,2Department of Zulu, School of Language, Culture & Communication,University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg.

Twelve members of Family Cucurbitaceae commonly used in KwaZulu-Natal

*Cultivated plants introduced into Africa from Central America via Europe by humans.

Scientific Name of Plant

Citrullus lanatus

Coccinia adoensis

Coccinia palmata

Coccinia rehmannii

Cucumis hirsutus

Cucumis metuliferus

Cucumis zeyheri

*Cucurbita pepo

Lagenaria siceraria

Lagenaria sphaerica

Momordica balsamina

Momordica foetida

Useful part/s

Fruit (eaten raw or cooked) Seeds (ground as meal)

Leaves (cooked as spinach) Fruit (eaten raw when ripe)

Leaves (cooked as spinach) Root (cooked as famine food)

Fruit (eaten raw when ripe) Root (roasted, peeled and eaten)

Leaves (cooked as spinach) FRUIT POISONOUS, bitter, not edible

Leaves (cooked as spinach) Fruit (eaten raw or cooked, but POISONOUS if bitter)

Leaves (cooked as spinach) Fruit - POISONOUS IF BITTER

Fruit (cooked as vegetable) Young shoots (cooked as spinach) Seeds (roasted like nuts)

Very young fruit (cooked as vegetable) Young leaves (cooked as spinach) Old, dry fruit (used as utensils, cooking implements, musical instruments, ornaments)

Parts used medicinally and magically - NOT EDIBLE

Seeds of ripe fruit (eaten raw) Leaves and green fruit (eaten as spinach)

Fleshy red aril of seed (eaten raw) Leaves and green fruit (cooked as spinach) Leaves (crushed and used as insect repellant)

English Name

bitter melon,tsamma melon

wild cucumber

wild cucumber

wild cucumber

wild cucumber

horned cucumber,jelly melon

wild cucumber

pumpkin, squash, marrowcourgette (French)zucchini (Italian)

bottle gourd, calabash

wild melon

balsam apple,balsam pear

smelly balsamapple/pear

Zulu Name/s

ibhece, ikhabe

?

uthangazane omncane uthangazane lwehlathi

uselwa lwenyoka

uselwa lwemamba uthangazane

uhufafa

inhlakahlela iselwa lenja

ithanga, iphuzi (fruit) usolozi (green shoots) uthanga, uphuzi (seeds)

iselwa

isigubhu, igula

iselwa makhosi, uselwa uthangazane olukhulu

intshungu, intshungwana yehlathi, umkaka

intshungu

Left: A pair of izixembe, or izindebe, wide ladles made by slicing a gourd in half lengthwise.

Sally JohnsonM

ark Mattson / D

urban Botanic G

ardens

Mark Mattson / Durban Botanic Gardens

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian K

oopman

Above: Small gourds used as muthi (medicine) containers are distinctively and often elaborately decorated so that the inyanga (herbalist) is able to identify their contents.

Gourds are truly one of Africa’s most versatile fruit. Small wonder that royal chiefs are known in Zulu as amakhosi oselwa (‘chief of the gourds’).

6 7

Imifino – Streetwise Spinach

ereals, or plants belonging to the grass family (Poaceae or CGramineae) have formed the

staple diets of most people for millennia, and still do so. In southern Africa, leaf vegetables are also an important food source and, unlike the cereal crops (sorghum, millet, maize), such plants are all around us. You have probably seen members of the genus Amaranthus without realising it.

In many parts of southern Africa, leaf vegetables are traditionally cooked and eaten with porridge as ‘pot herbs’. Broadly speaking, such plants used in the manner of spinach are collectively known as imifino (Xhosa and Zulu) or morogo (Sotho). Included among imifino are Cleome gynandra, Chenopodium album, Bidens pilosa, Sonchus oleraceus, Solanum nigrum, Portulaca oleracea, Urtica dioica, a number of Amaranthus species and the leaves of pumpkin and calabash. Of all the wild, edible plants in southern Africa, few are as well-known or as widely used as members of the Family Amaranthaceae, to which Amaranthus hybridus belongs. Widely referred to as imbuya in Zulu, it is also known colloquially as marog (Sotho), gewone

misbredie (Afrikaans) and common pigweed. Reflecting its widespread occurrence and popularity, some books list as many as twenty-five common names for this plant, indicating its use among Afrikaans, English, Pondo, Sotho, Swati, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu people.

Amaranthus hybridus is a cosmopolitan weed, thought to be indigenous to tropical America, where the amaranths are one of the oldest food crops. It is perhaps the most abundant, widely distributed weed in southern Africa and is the most commonly cultivated imbuya. It is a weed that is found on disturbed soil, old crop lands, along railway lines and roadsides, on cultivated land and around kraals. Amaranthus thunbergii, A. spinosus, A. deflexus and A. hypochondriachus are also widely used as leaf vegetables and all, except A. hypochondriachus, grow as weeds in southern Africa. Amaranths are also grown for their seeds and are known in parts of Latin America as quinoa, or Inca wheat. Amaranthus cruentus, A. hypochondriachus and A. caudatus are well-known grain amaranths from southern and northern Mexico and the Andes, respectively. The seeds of grain amaranths are nutritious, containing high levels of the amino acid, lysine, and are thus a useful supplement to cereals such as maize and wheat.

In Durban, Amaranthus species occur commonly on pavements and building

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

Amaranthus viridis – found throughout the tropics and subtropics of the world and common on the pavements of the Berea in Durban.

The seed of a grain amaranth, probably Amaranthus hypochondriacus. It is promoted by the Valley Trust’s Social Plant Use Programme to help demonstrate the contribution that wild resources can make to nutrition.

Mr. Joseph Ntseare, from the Durban Botanic Gardens, with Amaranthus hybridus subspecies cruentus, which he grows in order to collect seeds for distribution at a community gardening project in Avoca Hills, where he is a volunteer teacher. Joseph teaches participants to intercrop imbuya between rows of spinach, cabbage, turnips and beetroot.

1Professor Esmé Hennessy and Professor 2Adrian Koopman ,

1Research Centre for Plant Growth & Development, School of Botany & Zoology,2Department of Zulu, School of Language, Culture & Communication,University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg.

Twelve members of Family Cucurbitaceae commonly used in KwaZulu-Natal

*Cultivated plants introduced into Africa from Central America via Europe by humans.

Scientific Name of Plant

Citrullus lanatus

Coccinia adoensis

Coccinia palmata

Coccinia rehmannii

Cucumis hirsutus

Cucumis metuliferus

Cucumis zeyheri

*Cucurbita pepo

Lagenaria siceraria

Lagenaria sphaerica

Momordica balsamina

Momordica foetida

Useful part/s

Fruit (eaten raw or cooked) Seeds (ground as meal)

Leaves (cooked as spinach) Fruit (eaten raw when ripe)

Leaves (cooked as spinach) Root (cooked as famine food)

Fruit (eaten raw when ripe) Root (roasted, peeled and eaten)

Leaves (cooked as spinach) FRUIT POISONOUS, bitter, not edible

Leaves (cooked as spinach) Fruit (eaten raw or cooked, but POISONOUS if bitter)

Leaves (cooked as spinach) Fruit - POISONOUS IF BITTER

Fruit (cooked as vegetable) Young shoots (cooked as spinach) Seeds (roasted like nuts)

Very young fruit (cooked as vegetable) Young leaves (cooked as spinach) Old, dry fruit (used as utensils, cooking implements, musical instruments, ornaments)

Parts used medicinally and magically - NOT EDIBLE

Seeds of ripe fruit (eaten raw) Leaves and green fruit (eaten as spinach)

Fleshy red aril of seed (eaten raw) Leaves and green fruit (cooked as spinach) Leaves (crushed and used as insect repellant)

English Name

bitter melon,tsamma melon

wild cucumber

wild cucumber

wild cucumber

wild cucumber

horned cucumber,jelly melon

wild cucumber

pumpkin, squash, marrowcourgette (French)zucchini (Italian)

bottle gourd, calabash

wild melon

balsam apple,balsam pear

smelly balsamapple/pear

Zulu Name/s

ibhece, ikhabe

?

uthangazane omncane uthangazane lwehlathi

uselwa lwenyoka

uselwa lwemamba uthangazane

uhufafa

inhlakahlela iselwa lenja

ithanga, iphuzi (fruit) usolozi (green shoots) uthanga, uphuzi (seeds)

iselwa

isigubhu, igula

iselwa makhosi, uselwa uthangazane olukhulu

intshungu, intshungwana yehlathi, umkaka

intshungu

Left: A pair of izixembe, or izindebe, wide ladles made by slicing a gourd in half lengthwise.

Sally JohnsonM

ark Mattson / D

urban Botanic G

ardens

Mark Mattson / Durban Botanic Gardens

Adrian K

oopman

Adrian K

oopman

Above: Small gourds used as muthi (medicine) containers are distinctively and often elaborately decorated so that the inyanga (herbalist) is able to identify their contents.

Gourds are truly one of Africa’s most versatile fruit. Small wonder that royal chiefs are known in Zulu as amakhosi oselwa (‘chief of the gourds’).

8 9

sites. In the Durban Botanic Gardens Amaranthus is found growing among the cannas near the Gazebo. From here and elsewhere it is harvested by staff from the Micropropagation Unit, who maintain that Botanic Gardens Amaranthus is superior to other, on account of its flavour and freshness. They offered the following recipe for the preparation of Amaranthus hybridus, which the Indian community refer to as “Herbs”

This is a traditional Indian recipe using A. hybridus in a sauce. Take two bunches of herbs and clean and soak them in salt water – both stems and leaves are used. You will then need: 2 tablespoons oil; one small onion – diced; 1 tomato – peeled and diced; 3 cloves garlic; salt to taste; 3 dry chillies. To prepare, heat the oil and add the onion, garlic and dry chillies. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato, Amaranthus and salt to taste. Stir well and cook for approximately 7 mins until the liquid has evaporated. Serve with a Roti, or as a sauce with meat, vegetables or bread. Indian and African people are both fond of Amaranthus and staff from the Micropropagation Unit emphasized their belief that eating herbs whilst pregnant would ensure that their babies had beautiful, shiny black hair. Chefs from the International Convention Centre sometimes order up to 30 kg of Amaranthus at a time to cater for functions that have an African theme.

Its delicious taste notwithstanding, imbuya is also highly nutritious. In their book, People’s Plants, van Wyk and Gericke cite research revealing that morogo “are truly exceptional in terms of their food value”. The leaves are a rich source of protein and vitamin A, particularly in semi-arid areas where other leaf vegetables are difficult to grow. These authors report that a single 100 g portion will supply almost half the recommended daily allowance of protein. Iron, calcium and vitamin A contents are also high. Research indicates that Amaranthus species can easily be cultivated by small farmers and that they can contribute significantly to the prevention of malnutrition in young children. Classified as a weed, because of its ability to compete with agricultural crops, Amaranthus is now grown

commercially and its leaves are processed and canned.

While they do not withstand frost, Amaranthus species are hardy, tolerate high temperatures and are easily grown from seed. Leaves may also be dried and kept for use in Winter. Plants are spaced in rows about a metre apart and are harvested repeatedly by regular cutting, usually every ten days. Astounding yields of between 30 to 60 tons per hectare have been achieved. Fresh Amaranthus is available increasingly in local vegetable shops and Supermarkets. The weed of ‘Farm and Field’ is now a recommended vegetable of choice on the Weigh-Less Target Plan because of its high levels of Betacarotene, B-complex vitamins and Calcium.

Instead of buying wilted lettuces, needlessly packaged in cellophane and polystyrene for the insidious purpose of profit margins, you could slow down a little and hand-pick some fresh imifino from the pavement outside your house. It might sound crazy… but is it??

Mark MattsonDurban Botanic Gardens, Botanic Gardens Road, Durban.

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

In harvesting one of the world’s oldest crops in the Durban Botanic Gardens, an association with the cultivated amaranths dating back to circa 5000 BC is recapitulated.

Slow down and take a look around, edible amaranths are closer than you think.

Below: ‘Green Gold’ - morogo for sale in a local Durban Supermarket - a great side dish with roast vegetables!

Above: Amaranths are C4 plants and so are able to thrive in bright sunlight while using relatively little water. The cosmopolitan distribution of many amaranths reflects an annual or short-lived perennial habit, a remarkable ability to produce flowers early and to survive in full sun on disturbed soil. Amaranths have spread and hybridised with the movement of people and the advance of disturbed habitats. The specimen of Amaranthus, pictured at right, flowered when 9 cm tall in this adverse spot.

Above: Early mention – In a colonial herbarium report of 1896, the curator of the Natal Botanic Gardens, John Medley Wood, mentions Amaranthus species under a section entitled ‘Weeds of the Farm and Field’. Medley Wood noted that Amaranthus species were referred to as im-buya and were used by both colonists and indigenous peoples as a “sort of spinach”. Wood recorded three species of Amaranthus, while current studies indicate that there are at least eight species of Amaranthus now in the Durban area.

Right: Between the mint and the broccoli – Amaranthus hybridus, labelled ‘red/green herbs’, for sale in a Durban vegetable shop. Two subspecies of A. hybridus, one with green and one with reddish leaves, may be purchased.

Acknowledgements

I wish to express my appreciation to the following people for their kindness and interest. Margaret Appleton from the Micropropagation unit for alerting me to marog harvesting in the DBG; Meera Singh, Savy Reddy, Molly Simon, Desiree and Prema Naidoo for sharing their recipes and knowledge; Joseph Ntseare from DBG for sharing his knowledge of amaranths; Neil Crouch, Richard Symmonds, Snowy Baijnath, Barry Lang and Yashica Singh for their interest and sharing information; Yashica Singh and Alfred Ngwenya for identifying the amaranths mentioned in the text; Alfred for his help with Zulu names; Chris Dalzell for supporting this work. Many thanks.

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark Mattson / Durban Botanic Gardens

8 9

sites. In the Durban Botanic Gardens Amaranthus is found growing among the cannas near the Gazebo. From here and elsewhere it is harvested by staff from the Micropropagation Unit, who maintain that Botanic Gardens Amaranthus is superior to other, on account of its flavour and freshness. They offered the following recipe for the preparation of Amaranthus hybridus, which the Indian community refer to as “Herbs”

This is a traditional Indian recipe using A. hybridus in a sauce. Take two bunches of herbs and clean and soak them in salt water – both stems and leaves are used. You will then need: 2 tablespoons oil; one small onion – diced; 1 tomato – peeled and diced; 3 cloves garlic; salt to taste; 3 dry chillies. To prepare, heat the oil and add the onion, garlic and dry chillies. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato, Amaranthus and salt to taste. Stir well and cook for approximately 7 mins until the liquid has evaporated. Serve with a Roti, or as a sauce with meat, vegetables or bread. Indian and African people are both fond of Amaranthus and staff from the Micropropagation Unit emphasized their belief that eating herbs whilst pregnant would ensure that their babies had beautiful, shiny black hair. Chefs from the International Convention Centre sometimes order up to 30 kg of Amaranthus at a time to cater for functions that have an African theme.

Its delicious taste notwithstanding, imbuya is also highly nutritious. In their book, People’s Plants, van Wyk and Gericke cite research revealing that morogo “are truly exceptional in terms of their food value”. The leaves are a rich source of protein and vitamin A, particularly in semi-arid areas where other leaf vegetables are difficult to grow. These authors report that a single 100 g portion will supply almost half the recommended daily allowance of protein. Iron, calcium and vitamin A contents are also high. Research indicates that Amaranthus species can easily be cultivated by small farmers and that they can contribute significantly to the prevention of malnutrition in young children. Classified as a weed, because of its ability to compete with agricultural crops, Amaranthus is now grown

commercially and its leaves are processed and canned.

While they do not withstand frost, Amaranthus species are hardy, tolerate high temperatures and are easily grown from seed. Leaves may also be dried and kept for use in Winter. Plants are spaced in rows about a metre apart and are harvested repeatedly by regular cutting, usually every ten days. Astounding yields of between 30 to 60 tons per hectare have been achieved. Fresh Amaranthus is available increasingly in local vegetable shops and Supermarkets. The weed of ‘Farm and Field’ is now a recommended vegetable of choice on the Weigh-Less Target Plan because of its high levels of Betacarotene, B-complex vitamins and Calcium.

Instead of buying wilted lettuces, needlessly packaged in cellophane and polystyrene for the insidious purpose of profit margins, you could slow down a little and hand-pick some fresh imifino from the pavement outside your house. It might sound crazy… but is it??

Mark MattsonDurban Botanic Gardens, Botanic Gardens Road, Durban.

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

In harvesting one of the world’s oldest crops in the Durban Botanic Gardens, an association with the cultivated amaranths dating back to circa 5000 BC is recapitulated.

Slow down and take a look around, edible amaranths are closer than you think.

Below: ‘Green Gold’ - morogo for sale in a local Durban Supermarket - a great side dish with roast vegetables!

Above: Amaranths are C4 plants and so are able to thrive in bright sunlight while using relatively little water. The cosmopolitan distribution of many amaranths reflects an annual or short-lived perennial habit, a remarkable ability to produce flowers early and to survive in full sun on disturbed soil. Amaranths have spread and hybridised with the movement of people and the advance of disturbed habitats. The specimen of Amaranthus, pictured at right, flowered when 9 cm tall in this adverse spot.

Above: Early mention – In a colonial herbarium report of 1896, the curator of the Natal Botanic Gardens, John Medley Wood, mentions Amaranthus species under a section entitled ‘Weeds of the Farm and Field’. Medley Wood noted that Amaranthus species were referred to as im-buya and were used by both colonists and indigenous peoples as a “sort of spinach”. Wood recorded three species of Amaranthus, while current studies indicate that there are at least eight species of Amaranthus now in the Durban area.

Right: Between the mint and the broccoli – Amaranthus hybridus, labelled ‘red/green herbs’, for sale in a Durban vegetable shop. Two subspecies of A. hybridus, one with green and one with reddish leaves, may be purchased.

Acknowledgements

I wish to express my appreciation to the following people for their kindness and interest. Margaret Appleton from the Micropropagation unit for alerting me to marog harvesting in the DBG; Meera Singh, Savy Reddy, Molly Simon, Desiree and Prema Naidoo for sharing their recipes and knowledge; Joseph Ntseare from DBG for sharing his knowledge of amaranths; Neil Crouch, Richard Symmonds, Snowy Baijnath, Barry Lang and Yashica Singh for their interest and sharing information; Yashica Singh and Alfred Ngwenya for identifying the amaranths mentioned in the text; Alfred for his help with Zulu names; Chris Dalzell for supporting this work. Many thanks.

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark M

attson / Durban B

otanic Gardens

Mark Mattson / Durban Botanic Gardens

10 11

Some of these plants have been in cultivation in Britain and Europe for very many years, while others are of relatively recent introduction. Both keen amateurs and professional horticulturalists enthusiastically embarked upon selective breeding and hybridising of these introduced plants. With time and patience they created cultivars that produce blossoms in such a range of colours and size that they would be almost unrecognisable growing in their natural African habitats. A few plants from both categories, selected for their floral attributes and familiarity to us in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), where they are seen both in the wild and in cultivation, are mentioned and illustrated.

Early travellers and explorers from Europe during the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries were fascinated by

nglish gardens are known for their profusion of roses, whether grown Ein the small front enclosures of

rows of suburban houses or producing spectacular displays in large country gardens. The impressive number of blossoms produced, almost simultaneously, by any individual plant create such a sumptuous floral display, that the average visitor from Africa is left in awe. The colourful spectacle of so many flowers, massed together, cannot fail to impress even non-gardeners. However, looking beyond the roses and with keener observation, a visitor from South Africa will be thrilled to discover plants from the African continent cultivated and flowering in these northern hemisphere gardens.

what they saw on their expeditions into the interior of southern Africa. Both mature seeds and underground structures such as bulbs, corms and swollen roots were sent to Europe to private collectors, friends and museums, which often had gardens for growing ‘foreign plants’. Today these plants contribute in no small way to a very lucrative horticultural industry in lands far from their origins.

During the Victorian era, amassing vast collections of fauna and flora from distant continents was a pastime pursued with vigour and enthusiasm. Many institutions also augmented their collections by purchasing pressed and preserved plant specimens from the early explorers and botanists who collected at the Cape and in other interior areas of southern Africa. Names and descriptions, often accompanied by fine illustrations, were made from flowering specimens. Generic

and specific names derived from Latin and Greek frequently highlighted a particular feature of the plant. This aspect of plant nomenclature is particularly useful in assisting one to remember the scientific name of a plant by association with its derivation. Occasionally the plant collectors themselves were honoured by having their names incorporated into plant nomenclature.

Agapanthus, sometimes called the ‘African Lily’ or ‘African Blue Lily’ is a favourite of gardeners in Britain, the beautiful blue-flowered shade being more popular than the white form The name is derived from Greek ‘agape’, love; and ‘anthos’, flower. These plants are hardy and many fine cultivars have been derived from A. campanulatus and A. praecox. In Spring the fleshy rootstocks are split to effect easy propagation. This ensures stability of a particular cultivar in that it will flower true to type, since there is great variation among propagules derived from seed. Perhaps A. campanulatus, with its ethereal blue flowers, is seen to its best advantage in its natural setting among the grasslands of the KZN Drakensberg, yet it grows well in different soil types and makes a spectacular show when massed along borders.

Gladiolus may be one of Africa’s special gifts to British gardens. The genus has sword-shaped leaves, which gave rise to the generic name; gladiolus is Latin for a small sword. A species from KZN, G. dalenii, has been integral in breeding many of the garden hybrids gracing English and European gardens. This species grows in the wild in southern

and tropical Africa and in Madagascar. Living material from KZN was sent to Holland in 1837. It was named after a Dutch botanist, Cornelius Dalen, who later became director of Rotterdam Botanic

Garden. Flowers vary in colour, but are predominantly orange to red and

sometimes heavily speckled or streaked.

Of the variants perhaps the most spectacular is one with bright red flowers with yellow, red-edged lower segments. A second species of

Gladiolus from KZN, G. papilio, has also become

well established in the U.K. The flowers are light purple

with prominent deeper purple markings on the lower segments while the throat is light yellow. In England Gladiolus flowers in August and September and is

popular in gardens and for cut flowers.

The genus Kniphofia was named after Johan Hieronymus Kniphof

(1704–1763) who was a professor of medicine at Erfurt. The common name ‘Red Hot Poker’ applies particularly to K. rooperi, as in this species the upper flower-buds form a terminal red cone

while the lower, open flowers are yellow. Many of the taller

hybrids grown in Britain have been derived from this species. A hardy species of considerable garden value in colder climes

is A. triangularis from the Drakensberg. In the

U.K. there are over fifty selected cultivars available to gardeners.

KwaZulu-Natal Wildflowers - Our Gift to the World

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

Agapanthus inapertus (above), a dark blue-flowered species that grows in the Drakensberg is similar to A. campanulatus. Massed plantings of Agapanthus hybrids (left) make an impressive display when in flower, while mixed plantings of blue and white-flowered Agapanthus hybrid cultivars (top left) add colour to a flower bed.

Bottom left: New Rhodohypoxis hybrid cultivars form colourful “cushions” in an eye-catching display on the South African stand, which won a gold medal, at the 2001 Chelsea Flower Show in England.

Kniphofia laxiflora, a high-altitude species, imparts cold tolerance to its

hybrid progeny (top). Kniphofia hybrids in a mixed-border at the Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Wisley in England (centre). A stately stand of Kniphofia caulescens in the Drakensberg (bottom).

Lori Hennessey

Neil C

rouch

Neil C

rouch

Neil C

rouch

Clinton C

arbuttE

. F. Hennessey

Clinton Carbutt

10 11

Some of these plants have been in cultivation in Britain and Europe for very many years, while others are of relatively recent introduction. Both keen amateurs and professional horticulturalists enthusiastically embarked upon selective breeding and hybridising of these introduced plants. With time and patience they created cultivars that produce blossoms in such a range of colours and size that they would be almost unrecognisable growing in their natural African habitats. A few plants from both categories, selected for their floral attributes and familiarity to us in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), where they are seen both in the wild and in cultivation, are mentioned and illustrated.

Early travellers and explorers from Europe during the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries were fascinated by

nglish gardens are known for their profusion of roses, whether grown Ein the small front enclosures of

rows of suburban houses or producing spectacular displays in large country gardens. The impressive number of blossoms produced, almost simultaneously, by any individual plant create such a sumptuous floral display, that the average visitor from Africa is left in awe. The colourful spectacle of so many flowers, massed together, cannot fail to impress even non-gardeners. However, looking beyond the roses and with keener observation, a visitor from South Africa will be thrilled to discover plants from the African continent cultivated and flowering in these northern hemisphere gardens.

what they saw on their expeditions into the interior of southern Africa. Both mature seeds and underground structures such as bulbs, corms and swollen roots were sent to Europe to private collectors, friends and museums, which often had gardens for growing ‘foreign plants’. Today these plants contribute in no small way to a very lucrative horticultural industry in lands far from their origins.

During the Victorian era, amassing vast collections of fauna and flora from distant continents was a pastime pursued with vigour and enthusiasm. Many institutions also augmented their collections by purchasing pressed and preserved plant specimens from the early explorers and botanists who collected at the Cape and in other interior areas of southern Africa. Names and descriptions, often accompanied by fine illustrations, were made from flowering specimens. Generic

and specific names derived from Latin and Greek frequently highlighted a particular feature of the plant. This aspect of plant nomenclature is particularly useful in assisting one to remember the scientific name of a plant by association with its derivation. Occasionally the plant collectors themselves were honoured by having their names incorporated into plant nomenclature.

Agapanthus, sometimes called the ‘African Lily’ or ‘African Blue Lily’ is a favourite of gardeners in Britain, the beautiful blue-flowered shade being more popular than the white form The name is derived from Greek ‘agape’, love; and ‘anthos’, flower. These plants are hardy and many fine cultivars have been derived from A. campanulatus and A. praecox. In Spring the fleshy rootstocks are split to effect easy propagation. This ensures stability of a particular cultivar in that it will flower true to type, since there is great variation among propagules derived from seed. Perhaps A. campanulatus, with its ethereal blue flowers, is seen to its best advantage in its natural setting among the grasslands of the KZN Drakensberg, yet it grows well in different soil types and makes a spectacular show when massed along borders.

Gladiolus may be one of Africa’s special gifts to British gardens. The genus has sword-shaped leaves, which gave rise to the generic name; gladiolus is Latin for a small sword. A species from KZN, G. dalenii, has been integral in breeding many of the garden hybrids gracing English and European gardens. This species grows in the wild in southern

and tropical Africa and in Madagascar. Living material from KZN was sent to Holland in 1837. It was named after a Dutch botanist, Cornelius Dalen, who later became director of Rotterdam Botanic

Garden. Flowers vary in colour, but are predominantly orange to red and

sometimes heavily speckled or streaked.

Of the variants perhaps the most spectacular is one with bright red flowers with yellow, red-edged lower segments. A second species of

Gladiolus from KZN, G. papilio, has also become

well established in the U.K. The flowers are light purple

with prominent deeper purple markings on the lower segments while the throat is light yellow. In England Gladiolus flowers in August and September and is

popular in gardens and for cut flowers.

The genus Kniphofia was named after Johan Hieronymus Kniphof

(1704–1763) who was a professor of medicine at Erfurt. The common name ‘Red Hot Poker’ applies particularly to K. rooperi, as in this species the upper flower-buds form a terminal red cone

while the lower, open flowers are yellow. Many of the taller

hybrids grown in Britain have been derived from this species. A hardy species of considerable garden value in colder climes

is A. triangularis from the Drakensberg. In the

U.K. there are over fifty selected cultivars available to gardeners.

KwaZulu-Natal Wildflowers - Our Gift to the World

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

Agapanthus inapertus (above), a dark blue-flowered species that grows in the Drakensberg is similar to A. campanulatus. Massed plantings of Agapanthus hybrids (left) make an impressive display when in flower, while mixed plantings of blue and white-flowered Agapanthus hybrid cultivars (top left) add colour to a flower bed.

Bottom left: New Rhodohypoxis hybrid cultivars form colourful “cushions” in an eye-catching display on the South African stand, which won a gold medal, at the 2001 Chelsea Flower Show in England.

Kniphofia laxiflora, a high-altitude species, imparts cold tolerance to its

hybrid progeny (top). Kniphofia hybrids in a mixed-border at the Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Wisley in England (centre). A stately stand of Kniphofia caulescens in the Drakensberg (bottom).

Lori Hennessey

Neil C

rouch

Neil C

rouch

Neil C

rouch

Clinton C

arbuttE

. F. Hennessey

Clinton Carbutt

12 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

Hybridisation occurs readily among cultivated plants and although seeds set freely, more uniformity can be achieved by propagation from division of the underground rhizome in the Spring. The dense clumps of narrow leaves make plants of this genus useful in borders. Hardy species that tolerate both wind and salt can be grown in coastal situations.

A more recent introduction from the Drakensberg is Rhodohypoxis. The generic name refers to the red flowers which resemble, in form, the yellow ones of the genus Hypoxis. Carpets formed by little plants of Rhodohypoxis, that rarely exceed six to eight centimetres in height, produce exquisite colour shades when flowering amongst other alpine plants. They are becoming increasingly popular among garden enthusiasts.

Non-bulbous plants from southern Africa have been introduced with success to the British climate and from these have been bred many desirable varieties and hybrids suitable for English gardens. Diascia, a genus whose name is derived from the Greek, ‘di’ two; and ‘askos’, a sac, referring to the characteristic two spurs present in the flowers, has become popular. There are a number of species from the Eastern Cape and KZN with pink flowers touched within by maroon and yellow. Dr. Olive Hilliard, formerly Curator of Natal University Herbarium, and Mr. Bill Burtt of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, were largely

13

A woody plant sometimes called ‘Cape Figwort’ has proved to be an excellent garden plant in Britain. There are two species known in southern Africa, Phygelius aequalis and P. capensis. The origin of the generic name is probably from the Greek, ‘phyge’, flight, because the plant had long escaped the notice of botanists. Found infrequently on the banks of streams in the Drakensberg this shrub, when in flower, is eye-catching. P. capensis has bright red, tubular flowers. A cultivar, originating from Marwaqa mountain on Mrs. Anne Rennie’s farm in KZN, is reported to be hardy in Britain. It bears a profusion of yellow, trumpet shaped flowers throughout the Summer and Autumn months. Hybrids of P. aequalis and P. capensis are grouped as P. x rectus and are becoming increasingly popular standards in gardens.

Southern Africa, particularly the Cape and KZN with the Drakensberg Mountains, have provided many plants for northern hemisphere gardens. Despite the reversal of seasons between the northern and southern hemispheres, bulbous plants have been relatively easily introduced and propagated. Modern techniques have facilitated the introduction of desirable herbs and shrubs and have facilitated the development of numerous hybrids and cultivars that provide spectacular garden plants for enjoyment and enrichment of the environment.

Dr Jane Browning, 6 Sheridan Place,Brookwood Avenue,Barnes,LONDON SW13 OLH,England.

Illustrations by Prof. Esmé Hennessy

responsible for the introduction two decades ago of this now popular garden plant. More than forty cultivars are now available. Advertised this year and obtainable in Britain by ordering through the Internet are ‘Coral Belle’ producing copious salmon flowers over a long period, and ‘Little Dancer’ that produces a multitude of bright pink flowers throughout the British summer until the onset of the first frosts.

The flowers of Phygelius aequalis produce a bright splash of colour amongst the dark green foliage (Top left and top centre), while P. capensis (top right) offers different shades and shape in its flowers.

Left: The flowers of Rhodohypoxis baurii vary from white to pink to magenta. Here, growing in its natural habitat, the earthy tones and texture of the rocks provide a perfect foil to the crisp white of the flowers.

Bottom: The charming pink-flowered form of Rhodohypoxis milloides is a denizen of moist grassland areas, where it produces bright spots of colour.

Above: Gladiolus dalenii is used to dramatic effect in an urban garden. Two different colour forms, reflected in the elegant watercolours by Professor Hennessy on pages 11 & 13, are used to great effect in hybridising to provide flowers in a range of colours.

Below: Diascia cordata is a delicate, creeping plant that will rapidly cover an area in the flower border with bright pink flowers.

Clinton C

arbutt

Clinton C

arbutt

Clinton C

arbutt

Neil C

rouch

Neil C

rouch

E. F. H

ennesseyE

. F. Hennessey

12 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

Hybridisation occurs readily among cultivated plants and although seeds set freely, more uniformity can be achieved by propagation from division of the underground rhizome in the Spring. The dense clumps of narrow leaves make plants of this genus useful in borders. Hardy species that tolerate both wind and salt can be grown in coastal situations.

A more recent introduction from the Drakensberg is Rhodohypoxis. The generic name refers to the red flowers which resemble, in form, the yellow ones of the genus Hypoxis. Carpets formed by little plants of Rhodohypoxis, that rarely exceed six to eight centimetres in height, produce exquisite colour shades when flowering amongst other alpine plants. They are becoming increasingly popular among garden enthusiasts.

Non-bulbous plants from southern Africa have been introduced with success to the British climate and from these have been bred many desirable varieties and hybrids suitable for English gardens. Diascia, a genus whose name is derived from the Greek, ‘di’ two; and ‘askos’, a sac, referring to the characteristic two spurs present in the flowers, has become popular. There are a number of species from the Eastern Cape and KZN with pink flowers touched within by maroon and yellow. Dr. Olive Hilliard, formerly Curator of Natal University Herbarium, and Mr. Bill Burtt of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, were largely

13

A woody plant sometimes called ‘Cape Figwort’ has proved to be an excellent garden plant in Britain. There are two species known in southern Africa, Phygelius aequalis and P. capensis. The origin of the generic name is probably from the Greek, ‘phyge’, flight, because the plant had long escaped the notice of botanists. Found infrequently on the banks of streams in the Drakensberg this shrub, when in flower, is eye-catching. P. capensis has bright red, tubular flowers. A cultivar, originating from Marwaqa mountain on Mrs. Anne Rennie’s farm in KZN, is reported to be hardy in Britain. It bears a profusion of yellow, trumpet shaped flowers throughout the Summer and Autumn months. Hybrids of P. aequalis and P. capensis are grouped as P. x rectus and are becoming increasingly popular standards in gardens.

Southern Africa, particularly the Cape and KZN with the Drakensberg Mountains, have provided many plants for northern hemisphere gardens. Despite the reversal of seasons between the northern and southern hemispheres, bulbous plants have been relatively easily introduced and propagated. Modern techniques have facilitated the introduction of desirable herbs and shrubs and have facilitated the development of numerous hybrids and cultivars that provide spectacular garden plants for enjoyment and enrichment of the environment.

Dr Jane Browning, 6 Sheridan Place,Brookwood Avenue,Barnes,LONDON SW13 OLH,England.

Illustrations by Prof. Esmé Hennessy

responsible for the introduction two decades ago of this now popular garden plant. More than forty cultivars are now available. Advertised this year and obtainable in Britain by ordering through the Internet are ‘Coral Belle’ producing copious salmon flowers over a long period, and ‘Little Dancer’ that produces a multitude of bright pink flowers throughout the British summer until the onset of the first frosts.

The flowers of Phygelius aequalis produce a bright splash of colour amongst the dark green foliage (Top left and top centre), while P. capensis (top right) offers different shades and shape in its flowers.

Left: The flowers of Rhodohypoxis baurii vary from white to pink to magenta. Here, growing in its natural habitat, the earthy tones and texture of the rocks provide a perfect foil to the crisp white of the flowers.

Bottom: The charming pink-flowered form of Rhodohypoxis milloides is a denizen of moist grassland areas, where it produces bright spots of colour.

Above: Gladiolus dalenii is used to dramatic effect in an urban garden. Two different colour forms, reflected in the elegant watercolours by Professor Hennessy on pages 11 & 13, are used to great effect in hybridising to provide flowers in a range of colours.

Below: Diascia cordata is a delicate, creeping plant that will rapidly cover an area in the flower border with bright pink flowers.

Clinton C

arbutt

Clinton C

arbutt

Clinton C

arbutt

Neil C

rouch

Neil C

rouch

E. F. H

ennesseyE

. F. Hennessey

1514

potent and quickly immobilizes even the most dangerous of prey, such as bees. Much like their vertebrate predator counterparts, the favoured bite site is the insects’ “neck” (i.e. where the head joins

lowers symbolise many things that are familiar to us: beauty, Fcelebration (birthdays,

anniversaries, weddings and valentines), sadness (death), new life (Spring) and the prospect of fruit. Praying mantids and spiders, in particular crab spiders (Family Thomisidae), view flowers quite differently. The thomisids specialise in hunting prey on flowers and among foliage. To these spiders flowers are brightly coloured traps for luring unsuspecting prey. What easier way is there to feed oneself than to sit and wait! Crab spiders are so called because their bodies are flattened and their legs are directed sideways (laterigrade), which enables them to move equally well in all directions. The first two pairs of legs are also slightly longer and more robust than the others, which is important when one observes the spider waiting in ambush. These otherwise sluggish spiders wait patiently on flowers and pounce on visiting pollinators. Given that these spiders catch prey without the assistance of a web, it follows that their venom is

the thorax) as this is where the main nerve ganglia run. They inject digestive enzymes and suck up the resultant juices, leaving the exoskeleton of their prey behind.

The Flower Hunters - Masters of Disguise

change from white to yellow, pink, green or brown! In my experience Durban gardeners most commonly encounter the pink form of P. wahlbergi, an extraordinary creature with decorative flanges on the abdomen and legs. Its bizarre appearance and habit of sitting with its abdomen raised over the thorax make it very difficult to detect when it is sitting among pink flowers. However, it is not all about being hidden, but rather about being seen! The nymphs have been observed to sit on bare stems, where their resemblance to flowers is convincing enough to lure passing pollinators. The adults of this species are a light pink-green with a striking cream, circular

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

Above: Hymenopodid mantid nymph - the white form is perfectly camouflaged as it waits within the colour-complementary flower.

Left: In a pose, characteristic of hymenopodid mantid nymphs, the abdomen is raised over the thorax. Wings only appear in the adult phase, when the abdomen is held in line with the thorax as it lies under the wings (see illust. p. 16).

Below: Hymenopodid mantid nymph - pink form.

Above and below: Thomisus sp. waiting in ambush on a flower for a passing meal.

Many of these spiders have a remarkable ability to change colour. However, the change is slow and can only take place within a white to yellow to pink range. Experiments show that a white crab spider placed on yellow flowers will first attempt to locate a white flower. In the absence of white flowers it will slowly change to yellow. This change is not immediate but is effected over a few days and is reversible. In the European crab spider, Misumena vatia, the colour change is restricted to adult females and is made possible by the movement of a yellow carotenoid pigment from the intestine to the outer cuticle (and back again for the reverse process). Flower mantid nymphs, which include Pseudocreobotra from southern and eastern Africa, also have the ability to change colour. These praying mantids can

Thomisus sp. showing the crab-like forelegs.

K. H

. Rees

K. H

. Rees

Jack Kichenside

Jack Kichenside

Jack Kichenside

Jack Kichenside

1514

potent and quickly immobilizes even the most dangerous of prey, such as bees. Much like their vertebrate predator counterparts, the favoured bite site is the insects’ “neck” (i.e. where the head joins

lowers symbolise many things that are familiar to us: beauty, Fcelebration (birthdays,

anniversaries, weddings and valentines), sadness (death), new life (Spring) and the prospect of fruit. Praying mantids and spiders, in particular crab spiders (Family Thomisidae), view flowers quite differently. The thomisids specialise in hunting prey on flowers and among foliage. To these spiders flowers are brightly coloured traps for luring unsuspecting prey. What easier way is there to feed oneself than to sit and wait! Crab spiders are so called because their bodies are flattened and their legs are directed sideways (laterigrade), which enables them to move equally well in all directions. The first two pairs of legs are also slightly longer and more robust than the others, which is important when one observes the spider waiting in ambush. These otherwise sluggish spiders wait patiently on flowers and pounce on visiting pollinators. Given that these spiders catch prey without the assistance of a web, it follows that their venom is

the thorax) as this is where the main nerve ganglia run. They inject digestive enzymes and suck up the resultant juices, leaving the exoskeleton of their prey behind.

The Flower Hunters - Masters of Disguise

change from white to yellow, pink, green or brown! In my experience Durban gardeners most commonly encounter the pink form of P. wahlbergi, an extraordinary creature with decorative flanges on the abdomen and legs. Its bizarre appearance and habit of sitting with its abdomen raised over the thorax make it very difficult to detect when it is sitting among pink flowers. However, it is not all about being hidden, but rather about being seen! The nymphs have been observed to sit on bare stems, where their resemblance to flowers is convincing enough to lure passing pollinators. The adults of this species are a light pink-green with a striking cream, circular

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

Above: Hymenopodid mantid nymph - the white form is perfectly camouflaged as it waits within the colour-complementary flower.

Left: In a pose, characteristic of hymenopodid mantid nymphs, the abdomen is raised over the thorax. Wings only appear in the adult phase, when the abdomen is held in line with the thorax as it lies under the wings (see illust. p. 16).

Below: Hymenopodid mantid nymph - pink form.

Above and below: Thomisus sp. waiting in ambush on a flower for a passing meal.

Many of these spiders have a remarkable ability to change colour. However, the change is slow and can only take place within a white to yellow to pink range. Experiments show that a white crab spider placed on yellow flowers will first attempt to locate a white flower. In the absence of white flowers it will slowly change to yellow. This change is not immediate but is effected over a few days and is reversible. In the European crab spider, Misumena vatia, the colour change is restricted to adult females and is made possible by the movement of a yellow carotenoid pigment from the intestine to the outer cuticle (and back again for the reverse process). Flower mantid nymphs, which include Pseudocreobotra from southern and eastern Africa, also have the ability to change colour. These praying mantids can

Thomisus sp. showing the crab-like forelegs.

K. H

. Rees

K. H

. Rees

Jack Kichenside

Jack Kichenside

Jack Kichenside

Jack Kichenside

1716

Invasive Alien Plants

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

Above: Hymenopodid mantid nymph - showing it’s superb camouflage.

Below: Adult Pseudocreobotra wahlbergi showing the circular markings on the wings.

eye-pattern on the dorsal surface of the wings. Our observations from gardeners’ records indicate that it takes approxim-ately 3 to 4 months to reach maturity. The nymphs can be extremely site-tenacious, which means they occur on the same bush in the same place in the garden from month to month. However, once the final moult is completed and the wings are well formed, they go out in search of a mate.

Why, if flowers can attract hundreds of pollinators, do more spiders and mantids not take greater advantage of this ready supply of food? One of the disadvantages is that spending time in exposed sites increases the risk of being seen by predators. Thus we see this “flower-squatting” trend being restricted to those species that successfully look like their substrate. So, next time you stop to smell the roses, have a brief look to see who else is making use of these resources. Rest assured no spiders or mantids prey on human noses!

Dr Tanza CrouchCurator: Entomology & Arachnology

A crab spider in ambush position amongst the tiny flowers of a Euphorbia sp..

s part of Heritage Day celebrations on 24 September 2001, the latest Atemporary display in the Museum

draws attention to the importance of our natural heritage. Focusing on the devastating effect of invasive alien plants on our indigenous species and on the environment, it highlights their insidious nature. KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is plagued by a host of introduced invasive alien plants that replace natural vegetation, spread at an alarming rate, are difficult to eradicate, make excessive demands on the natural water supply, reduce crop yields and often are also poisonous, both to animals and humans. Illustrated here is a selection of some that are considered to be among those most troublesome and environmentally destructive. Many are beautiful, but all are pernicious.

Anredera cordifolia, the balloon or Madeira vine, from South America smothering a tree (above); fruit (below).

Above: Eucalyptus species, gum trees or bluegum, from Australia.

Below: Tithonia diversifolia, Mexican sunflower, from central America.

Below: Lantana camara, tickberry, from Central and South America.

Above: Schinus terebinthifolius, Brazilian pepper tree, from South America.

Melia azedarach, “syringa”, Persian or Indian lilac or chinaberry, from Asia. Flowers (above) and fruit (below).

Below: Pereskia aculeata from tropical South America.

Below: Chromolaena odorata, triffid weed, from Asia and Australia.

Andrew

Carter

Andrew

Carter

Andrew

Carter

Ted

Vick

ers

Jack Kichenside

Jack Kichenside

Jack Kichenside

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols

1716

Invasive Alien Plants

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

Above: Hymenopodid mantid nymph - showing it’s superb camouflage.

Below: Adult Pseudocreobotra wahlbergi showing the circular markings on the wings.

eye-pattern on the dorsal surface of the wings. Our observations from gardeners’ records indicate that it takes approxim-ately 3 to 4 months to reach maturity. The nymphs can be extremely site-tenacious, which means they occur on the same bush in the same place in the garden from month to month. However, once the final moult is completed and the wings are well formed, they go out in search of a mate.

Why, if flowers can attract hundreds of pollinators, do more spiders and mantids not take greater advantage of this ready supply of food? One of the disadvantages is that spending time in exposed sites increases the risk of being seen by predators. Thus we see this “flower-squatting” trend being restricted to those species that successfully look like their substrate. So, next time you stop to smell the roses, have a brief look to see who else is making use of these resources. Rest assured no spiders or mantids prey on human noses!

Dr Tanza CrouchCurator: Entomology & Arachnology

A crab spider in ambush position amongst the tiny flowers of a Euphorbia sp..

s part of Heritage Day celebrations on 24 September 2001, the latest Atemporary display in the Museum

draws attention to the importance of our natural heritage. Focusing on the devastating effect of invasive alien plants on our indigenous species and on the environment, it highlights their insidious nature. KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is plagued by a host of introduced invasive alien plants that replace natural vegetation, spread at an alarming rate, are difficult to eradicate, make excessive demands on the natural water supply, reduce crop yields and often are also poisonous, both to animals and humans. Illustrated here is a selection of some that are considered to be among those most troublesome and environmentally destructive. Many are beautiful, but all are pernicious.

Anredera cordifolia, the balloon or Madeira vine, from South America smothering a tree (above); fruit (below).

Above: Eucalyptus species, gum trees or bluegum, from Australia.

Below: Tithonia diversifolia, Mexican sunflower, from central America.

Below: Lantana camara, tickberry, from Central and South America.

Above: Schinus terebinthifolius, Brazilian pepper tree, from South America.

Melia azedarach, “syringa”, Persian or Indian lilac or chinaberry, from Asia. Flowers (above) and fruit (below).

Below: Pereskia aculeata from tropical South America.

Below: Chromolaena odorata, triffid weed, from Asia and Australia.

Andrew

Carter

Andrew

Carter

Andrew

Carter

Ted

Vick

ers

Jack Kichenside

Jack Kichenside

Jack Kichenside

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols

The Rare Birds of KwaZulu-Natal

he Palmnut Vulture is the emblem of the Durban Natural TScience Museum and is one of the strangest birds of prey in the

world. Its alternative name, Vulturine Fish Eagle, reflects the profound taxonomic uncertainty as to whether this oddity is a vulture or an eagle. Adults are striking in appearance, with black and white plumage, a bare red face and a large, pale-coloured bill. Seen in flight they are unmistakable, with largely white primaries, black secondaries and a broad white tip to their otherwise black tails. Juveniles, by contrast, are uniformly drab brown in colour and resemble several other large birds of prey.

The most unusual characteristic of the Palmnut Vulture, however, is its vegetarian diet. This passivity in its feeding habits is virtually unheard of in the archetypical carnivorous birds of prey. As their name suggests, Palmnut Vultures subsist largely on the fruits of palm trees and their stout bill is used to prise these open to feed on the fleshy areas around the husk. Not surprisingly, the distribution and abundance of this bird is largely determined by that of the palm trees. The most highly favoured species is the oil palm, Elaeis guineensis, which is abundant in the tropical realms of western and central Africa. This plant is grown commercially over large areas and the Palmnut Vulture is exceeding common in many parts of its

western and central African range. The birds even breed primarily in palm groves and use palm material in constructing their nests. There must be few examples of such a close bird-plant relationship in the avian world.

The oil palm of further north in Africa does not occur in southern Africa but the raffia or Kosi palm, Raphia australis, does and provides a suitable alternative for small numbers of these vultures here. The natural history of the raffia palm is as unusual as that of its hanger-on. This

plant, which only grows in permanently swampy areas, is renowned for having the largest leaves in the botanic world. The plant is also monocarpic in that it grows for some 20 years and then produces a single massive crop of palm fruits before

dying. It is amazing that a bird can evolve to depend on such a tenuous fruit supply for survival.

Ancestrally the only suitably-sized groves of raffia palms for the vultures in South Africa occurred at Kosi Bay. These support a population of only about five pairs of Palmnut Vultures. Another large grove, however, was planted at Mtunzini in the early 1900s and attracted a breeding pair of these vultures. This grove, populated by descendants of the original trees, is now a National Monument. The planting of raffia palms continued in Mtunzini and there are now perhaps four pairs breeding in the town environs. Raffia palms are also being planted widely elsewhere along the KwaZulu-Natal coast and the vulture seems to be proliferating slowly. Breeding pairs have recently been recorded near Richards Bay and even at Tongaat within the Durban Unicity. The Palmnut

Vulture is certainly one of South Africa’s rarest breeding birds but, unlike many threatened birds with similar status, this vulture seems to be on the way up!

David AllanCurator: Ornithology

Palmnut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis (Gmelin, 1788)

1918

Obituary: Dr Phillip Alexander Clancey 1917 - 2001

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

high demand by collectors of fine African art and his work has graced the board-rooms of companies such as Barlow Rand.

It might be expected that the demanding developments in the public areas would have left little time for other Museum endeavours. Not so, Dr Clancey was almost single-handedly responsible for amassing the collection of some 40 000 bird skins housed in the Bird Department. Dr Clancey’s skill in the preparation of bird skins was renowned and the Museum’s collection, the third largest in Africa, is widely acknowledged as the finest on the continent. Dr Clancey

organised some 26 major expeditions in Africa during the course of compiling this collection. His trips to Mozambique were the most noteworthy and resulted in the largest collection of material in existence from this poorly known region. His discovery of the Lemon-breasted Canary, a species new to science, and of the southern Mozambique population of the Olive-headed Weaver were particular highlights of these Mozambique investigations. Dr Clancey’s success in placing the Museum at the forefront of African ornithology is reflected in the large number of eminent ornithologists that have served there during and after his tenure, including Walter Lawson, Richard Brooke, Clive Quickelberge, Ian Sinclair, Dr John Mendelsohn and Dr Aldo Berruti.

After retirement, Dr Clancey remained a familiar sight in the corridors of the Museum. In the last few years of his life he donated a substantial sum of money to the Museum’s Trust Fund that was used to establish The Phillip Clancey Fund for bird-related projects. He generously donated the original artwork from his book, Rare Birds, to the Museum. His largesse to this institution continued even after his death; he bequeathed the original bird paintings that had hung in his hotel room to the Trust. He remained a Research

r Phillip Alexander Clancey, Director of the Durban Natural DScience Museum (1952 - 1982),

passed away on 18 July 2001, aged 83.

Dr Clancey was born on 26 September 1917 in Glasgow, Scotland. His family subsequently moved to London and then to Switzerland where he started school. By the age of seven he was back in Scotland and later studied at the Glasgow School of Art as a young man. He served with the Allies in Sicily and Italy during World War II, escaping death by the narrowest of margins on several occasions and he was deafened in one ear for over two months by an artillery explosion. He was de-mobbed in 1946 and was employed by an engineering consortium in the north of England. Ornithology and museums, however, were his abiding passions and in 1948-1949 he accompanied Col. Richard Meinertzhagen on an ornithological expedition to Africa and the Middle East. This watershed expedition was to catapult him into a professional career that merged both interests.

He immigrated to South Africa in August 1950 to take up the post of Curator of the Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg. He was appointed Director of the Durban Museum and Art Gallery on 1 January 1952 and held this post until his retirement over 30 years later on 25 September 1982. The present-day Museum is a product of Dr Clancey’s skill and penchant for sheer hard work. On assuming the reins in 1952, he implemented a methodical plan aimed to take the institution to the forefront of modern Museum standards. Within an astonishing two-and-half years the bird gallery (now known as the P.A. Clancey Gallery) was complete. The mammal gallery, which was only partially complete on Dr Clancey’s arrival, was his next target and by the end of 1957 this task too had been completed. Marine, geology, palaeontology, human pre-history, reptile and insect displays followed in short order and by 1973 Dr Clancey’s vision for the Museum had been largely fulfilled.

His artistic talents are evident in the many bird paintings presented in his books and in the dioramas on display in the Durban Natural Science Museum. He re-painted some of the dioramas up to six times until they accorded with his exacting standards. Several million visitors to the Museum have enjoyed these displays since their unveiling. His avian portraits remain in

Associate of the Durban Natural Science Museum until the date of his passing.

The honours bestowed on Dr Clancey were many. Pre-eminent among these was the degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa conferred on him by The University of Natal in 1981. He served as President of the Southern African Museums Association and was awarded a Fellowship by the Museums Association in London. He served as President of the Southern African Ornithological Society, was the long-standing Chairman of its List Committee, and was awarded Honorary Life Membership by this organisation.

The American Ornithologists’ Union honoured him by appointing him as a Corresponding Fellow.

Dr Clancey was a prodigious scientific author on the subject of African birds, especially their taxonomy. His many books included his Handlist of the Birds of Southern Mozambique (1970-1972), for which he was awarded the prestigious Gill Memorial Medal of the Southern African Ornithological Society (now BirdLife South Africa), The Birds of Natal and Zululand

(1964) and The Gamebirds of Southern Africa (1967). He was the chief editor of the influential S.A.O.S. Checklist of Southern African Birds (1980). Dr Clancey was a co-author of the second volume of the landmark Atlas of Speciation of African Birds, published by the British Museum (Natural History) during 1978. He also contributed as an author to The Atlas of Southern African Birds (1997). His list of other publications is even more impressive, running to a monumental total of over 530 scientific papers and associated articles. His legacy of taxonomic papers is unsur-passed in ornithology; Dr Clancey named some 200 subspecies of southern African birds. Several avian subspecies have been named after him by others in his honour.

Dr Clancey was a rare combination of outstanding administrator, artist, author and scientist. His immense contribution to this Museum and the other fields which he served speaks for itself and the meticulous dedication characteristic of his life’s work serves as an example for others working in the various endeavours which this man so ably mastered.

David AllanCurator: Ornithology

Dr Philip Clancey

Andrew Carter

The Rare Birds of KwaZulu-Natal

he Palmnut Vulture is the emblem of the Durban Natural TScience Museum and is one of the strangest birds of prey in the

world. Its alternative name, Vulturine Fish Eagle, reflects the profound taxonomic uncertainty as to whether this oddity is a vulture or an eagle. Adults are striking in appearance, with black and white plumage, a bare red face and a large, pale-coloured bill. Seen in flight they are unmistakable, with largely white primaries, black secondaries and a broad white tip to their otherwise black tails. Juveniles, by contrast, are uniformly drab brown in colour and resemble several other large birds of prey.

The most unusual characteristic of the Palmnut Vulture, however, is its vegetarian diet. This passivity in its feeding habits is virtually unheard of in the archetypical carnivorous birds of prey. As their name suggests, Palmnut Vultures subsist largely on the fruits of palm trees and their stout bill is used to prise these open to feed on the fleshy areas around the husk. Not surprisingly, the distribution and abundance of this bird is largely determined by that of the palm trees. The most highly favoured species is the oil palm, Elaeis guineensis, which is abundant in the tropical realms of western and central Africa. This plant is grown commercially over large areas and the Palmnut Vulture is exceeding common in many parts of its

western and central African range. The birds even breed primarily in palm groves and use palm material in constructing their nests. There must be few examples of such a close bird-plant relationship in the avian world.

The oil palm of further north in Africa does not occur in southern Africa but the raffia or Kosi palm, Raphia australis, does and provides a suitable alternative for small numbers of these vultures here. The natural history of the raffia palm is as unusual as that of its hanger-on. This

plant, which only grows in permanently swampy areas, is renowned for having the largest leaves in the botanic world. The plant is also monocarpic in that it grows for some 20 years and then produces a single massive crop of palm fruits before

dying. It is amazing that a bird can evolve to depend on such a tenuous fruit supply for survival.

Ancestrally the only suitably-sized groves of raffia palms for the vultures in South Africa occurred at Kosi Bay. These support a population of only about five pairs of Palmnut Vultures. Another large grove, however, was planted at Mtunzini in the early 1900s and attracted a breeding pair of these vultures. This grove, populated by descendants of the original trees, is now a National Monument. The planting of raffia palms continued in Mtunzini and there are now perhaps four pairs breeding in the town environs. Raffia palms are also being planted widely elsewhere along the KwaZulu-Natal coast and the vulture seems to be proliferating slowly. Breeding pairs have recently been recorded near Richards Bay and even at Tongaat within the Durban Unicity. The Palmnut

Vulture is certainly one of South Africa’s rarest breeding birds but, unlike many threatened birds with similar status, this vulture seems to be on the way up!

David AllanCurator: Ornithology

Palmnut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis (Gmelin, 1788)

1918

Obituary: Dr Phillip Alexander Clancey 1917 - 2001

Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001 Palmnut Post Vol. 4 No.2 September 2001

high demand by collectors of fine African art and his work has graced the board-rooms of companies such as Barlow Rand.

It might be expected that the demanding developments in the public areas would have left little time for other Museum endeavours. Not so, Dr Clancey was almost single-handedly responsible for amassing the collection of some 40 000 bird skins housed in the Bird Department. Dr Clancey’s skill in the preparation of bird skins was renowned and the Museum’s collection, the third largest in Africa, is widely acknowledged as the finest on the continent. Dr Clancey

organised some 26 major expeditions in Africa during the course of compiling this collection. His trips to Mozambique were the most noteworthy and resulted in the largest collection of material in existence from this poorly known region. His discovery of the Lemon-breasted Canary, a species new to science, and of the southern Mozambique population of the Olive-headed Weaver were particular highlights of these Mozambique investigations. Dr Clancey’s success in placing the Museum at the forefront of African ornithology is reflected in the large number of eminent ornithologists that have served there during and after his tenure, including Walter Lawson, Richard Brooke, Clive Quickelberge, Ian Sinclair, Dr John Mendelsohn and Dr Aldo Berruti.

After retirement, Dr Clancey remained a familiar sight in the corridors of the Museum. In the last few years of his life he donated a substantial sum of money to the Museum’s Trust Fund that was used to establish The Phillip Clancey Fund for bird-related projects. He generously donated the original artwork from his book, Rare Birds, to the Museum. His largesse to this institution continued even after his death; he bequeathed the original bird paintings that had hung in his hotel room to the Trust. He remained a Research

r Phillip Alexander Clancey, Director of the Durban Natural DScience Museum (1952 - 1982),

passed away on 18 July 2001, aged 83.

Dr Clancey was born on 26 September 1917 in Glasgow, Scotland. His family subsequently moved to London and then to Switzerland where he started school. By the age of seven he was back in Scotland and later studied at the Glasgow School of Art as a young man. He served with the Allies in Sicily and Italy during World War II, escaping death by the narrowest of margins on several occasions and he was deafened in one ear for over two months by an artillery explosion. He was de-mobbed in 1946 and was employed by an engineering consortium in the north of England. Ornithology and museums, however, were his abiding passions and in 1948-1949 he accompanied Col. Richard Meinertzhagen on an ornithological expedition to Africa and the Middle East. This watershed expedition was to catapult him into a professional career that merged both interests.

He immigrated to South Africa in August 1950 to take up the post of Curator of the Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg. He was appointed Director of the Durban Museum and Art Gallery on 1 January 1952 and held this post until his retirement over 30 years later on 25 September 1982. The present-day Museum is a product of Dr Clancey’s skill and penchant for sheer hard work. On assuming the reins in 1952, he implemented a methodical plan aimed to take the institution to the forefront of modern Museum standards. Within an astonishing two-and-half years the bird gallery (now known as the P.A. Clancey Gallery) was complete. The mammal gallery, which was only partially complete on Dr Clancey’s arrival, was his next target and by the end of 1957 this task too had been completed. Marine, geology, palaeontology, human pre-history, reptile and insect displays followed in short order and by 1973 Dr Clancey’s vision for the Museum had been largely fulfilled.

His artistic talents are evident in the many bird paintings presented in his books and in the dioramas on display in the Durban Natural Science Museum. He re-painted some of the dioramas up to six times until they accorded with his exacting standards. Several million visitors to the Museum have enjoyed these displays since their unveiling. His avian portraits remain in

Associate of the Durban Natural Science Museum until the date of his passing.

The honours bestowed on Dr Clancey were many. Pre-eminent among these was the degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa conferred on him by The University of Natal in 1981. He served as President of the Southern African Museums Association and was awarded a Fellowship by the Museums Association in London. He served as President of the Southern African Ornithological Society, was the long-standing Chairman of its List Committee, and was awarded Honorary Life Membership by this organisation.

The American Ornithologists’ Union honoured him by appointing him as a Corresponding Fellow.

Dr Clancey was a prodigious scientific author on the subject of African birds, especially their taxonomy. His many books included his Handlist of the Birds of Southern Mozambique (1970-1972), for which he was awarded the prestigious Gill Memorial Medal of the Southern African Ornithological Society (now BirdLife South Africa), The Birds of Natal and Zululand

(1964) and The Gamebirds of Southern Africa (1967). He was the chief editor of the influential S.A.O.S. Checklist of Southern African Birds (1980). Dr Clancey was a co-author of the second volume of the landmark Atlas of Speciation of African Birds, published by the British Museum (Natural History) during 1978. He also contributed as an author to The Atlas of Southern African Birds (1997). His list of other publications is even more impressive, running to a monumental total of over 530 scientific papers and associated articles. His legacy of taxonomic papers is unsur-passed in ornithology; Dr Clancey named some 200 subspecies of southern African birds. Several avian subspecies have been named after him by others in his honour.

Dr Clancey was a rare combination of outstanding administrator, artist, author and scientist. His immense contribution to this Museum and the other fields which he served speaks for itself and the meticulous dedication characteristic of his life’s work serves as an example for others working in the various endeavours which this man so ably mastered.

David AllanCurator: Ornithology

Dr Philip Clancey

Andrew Carter

T here are few things in

life that are still free. A

beautiful sunset, the flash of

colour from a passing butterfly, the sound

of birds in the trees, and the Durban Natural

Science Museum.

Why not have a wildlife experience right in the

middle of the city. Relax and enjoy the sights and

sounds of the bush without ever having to get into your car!

Visit us at the Durban City Hall. The entrance is

in Smith Street and we’re on the first floor

(above the library).

After all it’s free!

URBAN

USEUMCIENCE

ATURAL

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