Herbs

Acalypha peduncularis

Botanical name	Acalypha peduncularis
Other names	Brooms and brushes; Acalypha caperonioides; A. punctata; usununundu (Zulu)
Family	Euphorbiaceae
Dimensions	Perennial, dioecious, multistemmed herbaceous plant of up to 40 cm in height
Description of stem	Several erect stems emerge from the base; green when young, turn reddish
Description of leaves	Ovate to broadly lanceolate; three or more prominent veins emerge from the base; the margins are toothed or serrated; apex sharply pointed; leaf somewhat folded in along the central vein; leaves sparsely haired on both surfaces
Description of flowers	On male plants many erect, pinkish-brown racemes occur, up to 12 cm in length, later may become pendulous; small, densely clustered flowers, whitish or cream anthers when open, no petals; female plants have singular or paired terminal red to white flowers consisting of a group of erect, thin red styles
Desciption of seed/fruit	Three-lobed small capsule, about 4 mm in diameter
Description of roots	Branched rhizome
Variation
Propagation and cultivation	Grown from seed
Tolerances
Uses	Used in gardens for herbaceous borders; used in treatment of chest complaints and coughs
Ecological rarity	Common
Pests and diseases
Other
Location	Grassland, sour grass, disturbed veld, prominent after veld fires
Distribution (SA provinces)	Gauteng; North West; Kwazulu-Natal; Eastern Cape
Country	South Africa; Zimbabwe; Swaziland; Mozambique

Female Plant: Photographed by Annette Raaf, Hartebeestfontein Conservancy

Male Plant: Photographed by Annette Raaff, Hartebeestfontein Conservancy

Berkheya carlinopsis subsp. magalismontana

Botanical Name	Berkheya carlinopsis subsp. magalismontana
Other names
	Asteraceae
Dimensions	Erect perennial herb
Description of Stem	Sturdy, branched
Description of Leaves	Deeply lobed with sharp spines, green above, white and woolly below
Description of flowers	Yellow daisy with many ray-florets of about 150mm, open disc-florets appearing uneven, December to April
Description of seed/fruit
Description of roots
Variation
Propagation and Cultivation
Tolerances
Uses
Ecological rarity	Common
Pests and Diseases
Other
Location
Distribution	Gauteng, Northwest, Limpopo, Mpumalanga
Country	South Africa

Berkheya carlinopsis subspecies magalismontana; Photographed by photo Jack Latti.jpg

Bulbine angustifolia

Botanical name	Bulbine angustifolia
Other names	Bulbine tortifolium
Family	Liliaceae
Dimensions	Herb
Description of stem
Description of leaves	Succulent, cylindric and straight light green leaves spreading from the rhizome up to 30 cm in length
Description of flowers	Several racemes of 60 to 70 cm per plant, small yellow flowers September to November, stamens tomentose
Desciption of seed/fruit	Round green capsule turning dark brown
Description of roots	Perennial rhizome
Variation
Propagation and cultivation
Tolerances
Uses
Ecological rarity
Pests and diseases	Hard to find seeds due to insects occupying most of the capsules
Other
Location	Grasslands, rocky areas
Distribution (SA provinces)	Gauteng; Limpopo
Country	South Africa

Bulbine angustifolia : Photographed in the Waterberg by Ricky Mauer

Bulbine agustifolia: Photographed by Ricky Mauer

Bulbine favosa

Botanical name	Bulbine favosa
Other names
Family	Asphodelaceae
Dimensions	A slender perennial herb that may exceed 50 cm
Description of stem	Absent
Description of leaves	Thin, long, wiry leaves, sheathed at the base
Description of flowers	Raceme of yellow flowers, six yellow tepals arranged in two rings, the inner three being larger, all have fine green longitudinal lines along the centre; the filaments covered with dense yellow hairs;
Description of seed/fruit	Small black seeds
Description of roots	Fleshy, branching tuber extending into long roots
Variation
Propagation and cultivation
Tolerances
Uses
Ecological rarity	Apparently not endangered, common
Pests and diseases
Other
Location	Hilly grassland, wet and rocky slopes
Distribution (SA provinces)	Western, Eastern and Northern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West
Country	South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi

Bulbine favosa, Vlakkenberg photographed by Retha Wareham

Citrullus lanatus

Botanical Name	Citrullus lanatus
Other names	Tsamma, wild watermelon; karkoer or tsamma (Afrikaans); makataan (Tswana); t'samma (Khoi)
	Cucurbitaceae
Dimensions	A creeping annual herb with prostrate stems
Description of Stem	Multiple greenish grey, hairy stems of up to 3m in length; forked tendrils
Description of Leaves	Leaves occur on sturdy stalks, are conspicuously and ornately lobed around three prominent veins emanating from the leaf-base; hairy, rough to the touch on both surfaces
Description of flowers	Axillary flowers, light yellow, five-lobed corolla, greenish underneath; monoecious (male and female flowers on the same plant)
Description of seed/fruit	Variable, usually spherical fruit of 20cm in diameter ripen in winter; pale yellow-green (in the Kalahari form), sometimes light green with longitudinal dark green markings on the surface (in the cultivated, makataan form); the flesh or fruit pulp contains multiple seeds
Description of roots
Variation	Variable over the wide areas of its appearance, increased by cultivation and selection
Propagation and Cultivation	Grown from seed in vegetable production
Tolerances	Hardy
Uses	Edible fruit, sought after in dry areas for potable liquid by humans and animals; cultivars improved for human use have been developed in cultivation; seeds are dried, roasted, winnowed and ground to store as a sought after and nutritious meal; jam is made from some forms of the cultivated varieties; in Africa the seed is used to make a skin cream
Ecological rarity	Common
Pests and Diseases	Humans may be able to survive for several weeks on tsamma alone in a desert environment
Other
Location	Sandy soil in grassland or bushveld; often in areas where the natural vegetation had been disturbed or cultivated
Distribution	Northern Cape, Northwest, Limpopo
Country	South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and northward in Africa