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Home Home » PARKS AND GARDENS » Fernkloof Nature Reserve » Cliffortia ruscifolia var. ruscifolia gall
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Cliffortia ruscifolia var. ruscifolia gall

Cliffortia ruscifolia var. ruscifolia gall
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  • Aspalathus acuminata subsp. acuminata stem-tip spines
  • Babiana ambigua
  • Berzelia in flower at Fernkloof
  • Bobartia indica
  • Centella triloba, varkoortjies
  • Ceratocaryum argenteum male plant
  • Cliffortia falcata
  • Cliffortia ruscifolia var. ruscifolia flowers
  • Cliffortia ruscifolia var. ruscifolia gall
  • Corymbium glabrum in dry summer heat
  • Dilatris pillansii in Fernkloof
  • Edmondia sesamoides
  • Elegia spathacea
  • Fernkloof Nature Reserve
  • Fynbos slopes
  • Ixia flexuosa
  • Leucospermum cordifolium at home

Image information

Description

This fluffy white stem-tip growth on a Cliffortia ruscifolia var. ruscifolia plant is neither flower nor fruit. It is a gall, an alien growth upon the plant caused by a foreign living entity. Many leaves, reduced in size, have overproduced hairs from the impact of possibly a bacterium or fungus infecting the plant.

The isosceles triangles formed by the pale leaf margins on the stems show the renowned steekbos defence for discouraging destroyers from approaching or nibbling.

The red flowers can be expected in August when the photo was taken or slightly later (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Manning, 2007; Le Roux, et al, 2005; Bean and Johns, 2005; Andrew, 2017; iNaturalist; www.phillipskop.co.za).

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428
Photographer
Thabo Maphisa
Author
Ivan Latti
 
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