Notices for Users of the Albums

1. New Albums and some changes

 

The latest Albums on genera of South African plants added to the Operation Wildflower Site are the ones on Cyrtanthus, Dicoma and Strumaria. This means that photos and stories of plants belonging to these genera already on the Site, together with some new ones, have been moved from the more general Albums called Bulbs and Herbs respectively into their own new Albums under Genera. 

 

There is a genus Album in every case where enough material has been accumulated to warrant a stand-alone grouping of photos and stories. There are now more than 220 such genera Albums. The biggest ones (most photos) belong to the genera Crassula, Euphorbia, Pelargonium, Aloe and Erica. Keep watching, more will be added. If there is no genus Album yet on the plant you are looking for, check under Types, the grouping that the Site was started off with, accessible via the pictured items shown on the right. The Search Box may yield more, for plants and related material are also shown in Albums on Habitat, Regions and Parks and Gardens.

 

In order to access items on a plant of interest, enter its botanical name in the Search Box. Entering other words or names will access what is contained in the Albums database. The latest Regions Album is the one on Nature's Valley and the latest Parks and Gardens Album is on Tietiesbaai also known as the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve.

 

2. Want to talk about a plant or an Album item?

 

There is a new way of communicating with the Editor of this Site regarding any of the Album Items.
Comments, questions, corrections, information and suggestions can be put to the Editor by using the following email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Please ensure that the Album Item concerned is clearly identified. Type its exact title as well as the Album Name in the Subject Line of your email. Please also state your name.

 

Similarly, communication regarding the functioning or technical aspects of the Site can be directed to the Webmaster at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

3. Reduced Mobile Site for Cell Phone Users

 

Operation Wildflower now also offers a reduced Mobile Site for cell phone use that only presents the Albums contents. This is aimed at overcoming display difficulties on some of the mobile devices in use for quick reference. The reduction found in the Mobile Site doesn't affect the full set of photos and stories of Operation Wildflower, only in diminishing the Site's secondary details that may make it hard to access the items on a small screen.

 

It is best to use the normal or full Operation Wildflower Site on computers, iPads and devices with bigger screens, as well as those that present unimpaired display of full details and access to all material on offer.

 

Should viewing difficulties be experienced on your device, click here to access the Mobile Site.

 

4. Subject Index

 

A Subject Index of a selection of topics touched on in Album Item text has been started, other than plant species. Access it via Information.

 

The Album Item Title should be clicked upon to open the Item dealing with the Topic.

 

Check in the Search Box for yet more subjects not added to the Subject Index list yet.

 

Adenium multiflorum

 

Botanical name

Adenium multflorum

Other names

Impala lily, impalalelie (Afrikaans); adenium obesum

Family

Apocynaceae

Dimensions

A thick-stemmed, sometimes multistemmed succulent shrub, deciduous (or semi-deciduous in warmer areas); around 1,5 m, occasionally double that height

Description of stem

A squat, succulent stem, tapering upwards with a smooth light grey surface

Description of leaves

Simple, alternate or spiralling, towards the end of the otherwise bare branches; fleshy, obovate, dark green, pale below, midrib prominent on the lower surface; apex rounded, margin entire

Description of flowers

Abundant white or pink flowers with bright pink borders at the outer edges of the petals, floral parts in fives, bisexual; distinctive vertical maroon stripes occur at the throat of the trumpet; some colour variations occur; a very striking sighting in its natural surroundings in winter when the abundance of flowers adorn the leafless stems

Desciption of seed/fruit

Paired, cylindrical, over 20 cm long, hairy, turning brown when mature; splits open to release more than 50 long thin seeds with hairy tufts at the ends

Description of roots

Thick underground stems

Variation

Several subspecies occur throughout Africa and Arabia; variations multiplied in cultivation; some writers separate A. multiflorum and A. obesum

Propagation and cultivation

Grown from seed or cuttings in spring, best in semi-arid conditions, high temperatures, full sun, well-drained sandy soil, watered in similar way as cacti; seedlings have been reported to flower within a year

Tolerances

Can endure drought or periods of cold-induced dormancy

Uses

Popular in xeriscaping, as a container plant and succulent gardens in many parts of the world, e.g.  the Far East and the USA; toxic sap, used to poison fish and arrow-heads for hunting; browsed by game, maybe kudu and baboons, sometimes by livestock although toxic for cattle and goats

Ecological rarity

Said to be not threatened in South Africa; it is on the Red Data lists of Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia

Pests and diseases

Said to be plagued by some insects in cultivation

Other

 

Location

Savanna grassland in semi-tropical areas, sandy and rock areas

Distribution (SA provinces)

Mpumalanga, Limpopo

Country

South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya and northwards up to some Middle Eastern countries, westward to Senegal

 

(Information received from Johan Wentzel)

 

 

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