Our wild flower heritage, by H. B. Rycroft

The collection book 'Our wild flower heritage' (H. B. Rycroft) introduces to the floral regions of South Africa.

The collection book 'Our wild flower heritage' (H. B. Rycroft) introduces to the floral regions of South Africa.

Images from H. B. Rycroft's floral collection book 'Our wild flower heritage' that was co-published by the Botanical Society of South Africa in the 1960s.

Images from H. B. Rycroft's floral collection book 'Our wild flower heritage' that was co-published by the Botanical Society of South Africa in the 1960s.

The collection book 'Our wild flower heritage' (H. B. Rycroft) introduces to the floral regions of South Africa.

H. B. Rycroft  

Floral Regions of South Africa

Climate, particularly rainfall and temperature is one of the principal factors which determines what plant forms occur in an area. It is because South Africa has so many different climates that we have such a wealth of flora of all kinds. The following floral regions are the most easily recognisable:

FOREST
Forests consist of large trees growing closely together, but these can only develop in areas where temperatures are not too low and where there is a sufficient and constant supply of moisture.
Forests can be found between the mountains and coast in the George-Knysna-Humansdorp area and along the Natal and Zululand coastal belt as well as on the well-watered mountain slopes which face east or south-east in Natal and the Transvaal. Forest areas in South Africa are not very extensive when compared with other countries because of the limited number of areas which have the necessarv conditions.

FYNBOS
The vegetation of the winter rainfall area of the South Western Cape is known by several names such as Fynbos, Macchia, Sclerophyll Scrub or simply the Cape Flora. A characteristic feature of this region is the extremely large number of species, many of which are found only in very limited areas. The plants can endure long, hot droughts in the summer and heavy rains in the winter and they have evolved ways to check loss of water in the dry season. Although the Cape Flora is prolific in the South Western Cape between the sea and the mountains, it can also be found northwards and.eastwards and, several of the Cape plants can be seen in the Drakensberg of Natal and in the Transvaal.

SAVANNAH
Savannah consists of grassland with scattered trees and is found in fairly warm areas with summer rains and winter drought. This region covers a large part of the country from the Eastern Cape through Natal, into the eastern, northern and western parts of the Transvaal, through Botswana and into the eastern, central and northern parts of South West Africa. The seasonal changes in appearance are quite dramatic. The grasses which are brown and dry in the winter and the trees which are leafless, suddenly all turn green with the first summer warmth and rain. The vast area of Savannah is not uniform and there are many local and striking variations depending largely on temperature and soil conditions. The highland between the valleys often have severe frosts which make conditions too cold for tree growth and here only grasses and a few scattered trees are to be found.

GRASSLAND
Our grasslands present a very uniform, characteristic and extensive type of vegetation and extend over the Orange Free State, Lesotho, parts of Northern Natal, Southern Transvaal and part of the Eastern Cape. The whole area is situated high above sea level and the rains come in summer with winters which are dry and too cold for the growth of trees. Frosts occur frequently. Grass is the main form of vegetation and maize, which is itself a grass, is the chief cultivated crop.

SEMI-DESERT
Semi-desert regions are very interesting because of the fascinating way plants adapt to the dry, parched conditions. Most of this region is in the Cape Province and South West Africa. Vegetation is sparse and except for occasional storms and mists there is little moisture to sustain plant life. Some plants develop deep-root systems which tap underground water, some lose all their leaves during the hot, dry season and some produce large water storage organs below ground level, and yet others go underground, not to hibernate, but to carry out its essential activities, leaving only the fat and juicy ends of the leaves showing at the surface of the soil. The plants germinate, grow, flower and produce their seeds in a very short period of time in order to take advantage of the favourable season and in the form of seeds they can withstand any drought, no matter how severe. Real desert, perhaps the driest in the world, can be found on the coast of South West Africa and is known as the Namib. [...]

This is an excerpt from the book Our wild flower heritage, by H. B. Rycroft.

Our wild flower heritage
Editor: H. B. Rycroft
Publishers: Trident Press (est. 1960s)
Botanical Society of South Africa
Original hard cover, 21 x 30 cm, 40 pages, throughout colour photos and inserted colour cards, texts: English and Afrikaans

Rycroft, H. B. im Namibiana-Buchangebot

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