Quick ID Guide Wild Flowers of the Cape Peninsula, by Hugh Clarke and Corinne Merry

Quick ID Guide Wild Flowers of the Cape Peninsula, by Hugh Clarke and Corinne Merry. Penguin Random House South Africa, Struik Nature. Cape Town, South Africa 2019. ISBN 9781775846406 / ISBN 978-1-77-584640-6

We hope this Quick ID Guide Wild Flowers of the Cape Peninsula will inspire you to explore the mountains and coastal areas, enjoy the magnificent scenery and identify for yourself the many beautiful flowers to be found, Hugh Clarke & Corinne Merry.

Hugh Clarke  Corinne Merry  

Table Mountain, Silvermine and Cape Point are three natural landmarks spanning the Cape Peninsula. They offer discrete natural habitats for diverse flora. Nowhere else in the world does an area of such beauty and rich biodiversity exist within a city inhabited by close to 3.8 million people. Table Mountain is not only a World Heritage Site but, by global poll, it was voted as one of the world's Seven Wonders of Nature. It occupies an area of 57km2, with 650km of hiking trails. Nearly one million people take the cable car each year to reach the top. The more adventurous hike to the summit or along the many hiking routes. Silvermine lies south of Table Mountain. Although this protected conservation area is smaller than Table Mountain, its fynbos vegetation is rich in species. These include a surprisingly large number of endemics - species found nowhere else in the world - like the showy Erica urna-viridis, which only grows on the higher-lying areas of Silvermine East around Muizenberg Peak, or Erica nevillei, growing on Noordhoek Peak in Silvermine West. Other attractions include some indigenous forests, caves and spectacular sea views over False Bay in the east, and Chapman's Peak Drive and Hout Bay in the west. Cape Point is the southernmost tip of the Peninsula. The reserve has sea on three sides, towering stone cliffs with stunning vistas over the oceans and hosts over 1,000 flower species (14 of which are found nowhere else in the world). Over 270 bird species have made Cape Point their home. For flower-lovers, a walk in these wild areas is an amazing experience all year round, but especially during the Spring and Summer months (from September through to March). We have selected flowers that are generally attractive, eye-catching and easily seen. Flowers that are really tiny and less interesting, which the average hiker or rambler would usually walk past without a second glance, are not featured. A few really beautiful species, although not widely dispersed, are included for interest and pleasure.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Quick ID Guide Wild Flowers of the Cape Peninsula by Hugh Clarke and Corinne Merry gives you a snapshot and description of 360 wild flowers that grow in the Cape Peninsula. Colour tabs on the side of each page help you to find the flower you wish to identify. The flowers are arranged according to colour. Try to match the flower you are looking at with the closest colour tab, then look at the flowers on those pages. (Sometimes there are colour variations in flowers, so you may have to look in the other colour sections for an elusive flower.) Photographs offer an instant ID. They are mostly close-ups, showing what you would see if you were right next to the flower. There are some inserts with a more distant view of the flowering plant. We group flowers according to the predominant colour of their petals. We present the colour we found most often in the Cape Peninsula and we list other colour possibilities. Flower colours can vary; you may find specimens of a lighter, darker or even a different shade from that in our photograph or description. [...]

This is an excerpt from Quick ID Guide Wild Flowers of the Cape Peninsula, by Hugh Clarke and Corinne Merry.

Title: Quick ID Guide Wild Flowers of the Cape Peninsula
Author: Hugh Clarke; Corinne Merry
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Imprint: Struik Nature
Cape Town, South Africa 2019
ISBN 9781775846406 / ISBN 978-1-77-584640-6
Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 157 pages, throughout colour photographs, 3 maps