« Previous Day: Dendroctonus ponderosae |
Main
| Next Day: Euonymus americanus »
Feb 8, 2010: Pandanus tectorius
Feb 9, 2009:
Ludisia discolor
Feb 9, 2007:
Leptospermum rotundifolium
Feb 9, 2006:
Eriophyllum lanatum var. lanatum
November 17, 2008 : Ceraria namaquensis
Interested in subscribing? Visit the main Botany Photo of the Day page and fill out the form in the upper right corner!
Plant Family / Families: Portulacaceae
Scientific Name and Author: Ceraria namaquensis (Sond.) H. Pearson & Stephens | syn. Portulacaria namaquensis Sond.
Name Location: Augrabies Falls National Park, South Africa
Update: I've been so distracted, I forgot to credit Jackie Chambers for both the photographs and write-up. Thank you, Jackie!
Ceraria namaquensis, or Namaqua porkbush, is native to South Africa and Namibia. This particular specimen was found in Augrabies Falls National Park. Due to its geographic location, with the Kalahari Desert to the north and Namaqualand to the south, the vegetation in the park is a fascinating combination of desert plants, fynbos, subtropical plants, and even some tropical plant species. All of these inhabit different niches within the landscape. The Augrabies Falls National Park website contains more information on the park's vegetation.
Ceraria namaquensis tends to be grow as solitary individuals in sandy hollows or rocky crevices. This ensures they catch water run-off in a habitat where there is competition for the small amount of water available. Other adaptations to the hot, dry conditions are the swollen stems and succulent leaves. The short and almost cylindrical-shaped unusual leaves are found in clusters along the stem. While the plant can be evergreen, it is drought-deciduous, which means it may drop leaves in extreme drought conditions.
A rather large succulent shrub, or small tree, Ceraria namaquensis can reach 3m in height, and has small pink flowers produced in the early summer (October to November in the southern hemisphere). A small botanical diagram of flowers is available from Aluka: Ceraria namaquensis.
Ceraria namaquensis is collected by succulent enthusiasts and can be trained as bonsai.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at November 17, 2008 6:22 PM
Comments
...or read recent comments on all BPotD Entries
Posted by: Mary Ann, in Toronto at November 17, 2008 7:40 PM
Don't worry about your entries coming sporadically. It is just so nice to have these flowers showing up to brighten one's day.
Posted by: Wendy Semko at November 17, 2008 10:27 PM
Loving those leaves.
Posted by: van at November 18, 2008 9:02 AM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
Post a comment
XML Feeds: Atom | RSS 2.0 | RSS 1.0 | What is RSS? | RSS Tools
Botany Photo of the Day and associated images by UBC Botanical Garden staff are licensed under a Creative Commons License. Images and text by non-UBC contributors are copyright the respective photographers / authors (but often have Creative Commons licenses if contributed via Flickr).
About Botany Photo of the Day | Submit Your Photos via Flickr | Submit Your Photos via UBCBG's Discussion Forums
Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
What a lovely, delicious plant! I'd love to run my hand along those little plump fleshy leaves, and see how they feel!