by Alex Lansdowne | Jul 26, 2018 | Botanic Gardens, Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, Cape Floristic Region, Cape Peninsula, Conservation, Ecology, Endangered Species, Fynbos, Geophytes, Kirstenbosch, Landscape History, Research
Herbarium specimens indicate that Moraea aristata is a northern Cape Peninsula endemic. It was recorded adjacent to Table Mountain between the present day Cape Town CBD and suburb of Rondebosch. Like sister species in the Peacock Moraea group, it prefers heavier soils and would have been found growing on Peninsula Shale Renosterveld, and likely also in nearby similar vegetation types.
by Zoë Poulsen - Cape Town Botanist | Dec 14, 2017 | Botanic Gardens, Cape Floristic Region, Christmas, Conservation, Ecotourism, Endangered Species, Environmental Education, Fynbos, Get Involved, Kirstenbosch, Nonprofits, Responsible Tourism
As the festive season draws closer, consumers are turning their attention to Christmas shopping for their loved ones. The quest for finding the perfect gift can sometimes be a challenging one – Why not consider a green gift? In South Africa we are lucky enough to live in a megadiverse country with some of the world’s richest biodiversity. So why not buy a Christmas gift that supports conservation action and raises awareness of what is on our doorstep? Here we offer up some green gift ideas that are local, sustainable, support conservation and encourage people to get out and experience the beauty of South Africa’s natural world.
by Alex Lansdowne | Oct 15, 2017 | Botanic Gardens, Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, Cape Floristic Region, Cape Peninsula, Conservation, Ecology, Endangered Species, Fynbos, Geophytes, Kirstenbosch, Landscape History, Plant Profiles, Renosterveld
There are many stories of species only just holding on against extinction. One that stands out is that of Moraea aristata. This enigmatic Irid has long been admired. First described in the mid-18th Century by colonial botanical explorers, it quickly found its way into European collections, many of which still persist today. Historical records indicate this Peacock Moraea has always been a narrow endemic. Its natural distribution is the flats adjacent to Table Mountain, between present day Cape Town CBD and Rondebosch.
by Zoë Poulsen - Cape Town Botanist | Nov 5, 2016 | Botanic Gardens, Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, Cape Floristic Region, Cape Peninsula, Conservation, Ecology, Endangered Species, Fynbos, Kirstenbosch, Plant Profiles
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the last in the world of your kind? There are many species who have experienced this fate in the hands of people. The most famous of these is Lonesome George, a giant tortoise of the Pinta subspecies from the Galapagos Islands. Despite the best efforts of conservationists, when Lonesome George died in 2012 at the age of approximately 102, the Pinta Island subspecies of giant tortoise died with him. I was lucky enough to meet Lonesome George at his last home at the Charles Darwin Research Centre during a stint of volunteering in the Galapagos Islands during my teens, and it is a memory that has stayed with me.
by Zoë Poulsen - Cape Town Botanist | Apr 10, 2015 | Botanic Gardens, Cape Floristic Region, Cape Peninsula, Endangered Species, Ethnobotany, Fynbos, Indigenous Foods, Kirstenbosch
The Kirstenbosch Plant Fair is a long held tradition and this year heralds the 40th one held since its relatively humble beginnings. Dirk Muller, Chairman of the Kirstenbosch Branch of BotSoc, recalls attending the first plant fair in 1975 which saw eager members queuing up at 6:30am in the morning prior to the opening and by 11am every plant on sale had marched out the door in the hands of inspired and enthused growers.
by Zoë Poulsen - Cape Town Botanist | May 26, 2014 | Botanic Gardens, Conservation, Endangered Species, Kirstenbosch, Research
This week Notes from a Cape Town Botanist is reporting from the Northern Hemisphere in order to bring you the lowdown on some of the world class and ground-breaking work to conserve the Cape flora going on in other parts of the world. Far away from the green and pleasant land of Sussex in the south-east of England, 7,000 miles away one of the world’s biggest biodiversity disasters is quietly unfolding down in South Africa’s Cape Floristic Region (CFR).