SANBI Publications: Ascleps, Fynbos & Succulent Karoo Floras

[Apicra]

In gloomy November, greenhouses are less inviting, which gives more time for browsing the WWW. I hadn't heard of this relatively new publication before from c&s sources. Snip:

"STRELITZIA No. 34: The Apocynaceae of Namibia P.V. Bruyns (2014)

The Flora of Namibia is dominated by the families Poaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae. Here, an account of the Apocynaceae, the seventh largest family in Namibia, is presented. A total of 153 species belonging to 46 genera are recorded as occurring naturally for the country and 19 of these species are endemic to Namibia, with two endemic genera. More than half of these 153 species belong to the tribe Ceropegieae, with the highly succulent group, the stapeliads, represented by 58 species. It is shown that the family is most diverse in the extreme south of the country, in the Rosh Pinah & Karasburg districts. The distribution of each species is mapped and, for many genera, one species is illustrated with line drawings. Lectotypes are selected for several species.

Published by SANBI Publishing (South African National Biodiversity Institute), Pretoria.
Soft cover. 180 × 240 mm. pp. 164. ISBN: 978-1-919976-98-3
Price: SADC R200.00"

Should be of interest to Stapeliad fans. Currently about 20 Rand = £1.

Best regards,
Derek Tribble,
Harrow Branch

[Apicra]

Buried deep within documents for free download from SANBI's web site are two most-useful reference books. These are substantial and expensive to buy on paper. Don't be put off by the terrible titles! Essentially the first is a catalogue of the rich Fynbos biome flora and the second for Succulent Karoo biome plants (born from the old Flora of Namaqualand project). Concise descriptions of each species are provided, but subsp. and vars. are omitted.

Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region volume 1: The Core Cape Flora (Manning and Goldblatt, 2012)
http://www.sanbi.org/sites/default/file ... 9-2012.pdf

Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region volume 2: The Extra Cape Flora (Snijman, 2013)
http://www.sanbi.org/sites/default/file ... 0-2013.pdf

Because South Africa is the richest area for succulents, many of our plants are covered. Between the 2 vols for example, most of the Mesembs, Anacampseros, Crassulas, Haworthias, Pelargonium are listed. Bruyns' conservative treatment of succulent Euphorbias is used. Aloes, stapeliads, succulent daisies and many more are included. Do not miss this free lunch!

Best wishes,
DT

[jfabiao]

Excellent information, Derek. Thank you for sharing.

[Liz M]

They sound most interesting publications and ones to save. Thank you for telling us about them.

[srboisvert]

This blog might also be of interest to those who enjoy Derek's links:

http://www.capetownbotanist.com