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Search - Catalogue Of The African Plants Collected By Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch In 1853-61

Catalogue Of The African Plants Collected By Dr Friedrich Welwitsch In 1853-61
Author: Various

Combretacese, whether as climbers often with their grand inflorescence, or as moderate-sized trees, constitute one of the greatest ornaments of the tropical landscape, making a splendid show with their variously-coloured leaves and winged fruits by the abundance of their flowers, especially in the case of the species which have red blossoms, the... more »y produce a wonderfully magnificent effect they mostly bloom in winter. Combretwm flammeum Welw., a climbing shrub, which is frequent about Sange in Golungo Alto, has its petals and sepals and even its bracts coloured bright red, ultimately turning dark blood-red, and thus presents the appearance of a burning bush. Few species give from dried specimens any adequate idea of the beauty of the plants in a growing state. Some species occur only as herbs or undershrubs, others as trees even to the height of 80 ft., others again either as small shrubs or mighty climbers some have a very wide distribution, as for instance C. constrictum Laws., which occurs on both the western and eastern sides of the African continent, and which in Angola is diffused in different forms in the interior, and is represented in Pungo Andongo by a closely allied species. Six species of trees or erect shrubs adorn the forests about Pungo Andongo, and of these one with large glossy leaves and clusters of blood-red fruits is conspicuous, inhabiting the forests of the Cuanza valley from Sansamanda to Quisonda, a distance of at least 75 to 80 geographical miles Combretum constrictum Laws., an officinal shrub, occurs very abundantly near Candumba the scandent species with flaming-red flowers are rarer than in Golungo Alto and Oazengo but C. racemosum P. Beauv. with its silky-glossy leaves and scarlet-red flowers produces a splendid contrast. Several species, which are found in masses in Golungo Alto, occur inPungo Andongo singly, and so exercise but little effect as a feature in the physiognomy of the vegetation. Most species show a considerable variation between the leaves of their young shoots and those of the older flower-bearing branches, both in shape and indumentum, so that it is often very difficult to classify forms of the same species which have sprung from the same stock but at different periods or have attained a greater age frequently even the densest tomentum on the radical shoots becomes obsolete on the flowering shrub. The pubescence, which is often silky or like felt, and which is whitish or greyish on the living plant, assumes on dried specimens a tawny or ferruginous colour, rendering the descriptions taken from herbarium specimens mostly erroneous and occasioningwrong diagnostic characters. For instance, C. holosericeum Sond. is described by its author as clothed with tawny hairs, while in nature it shines with a silvery-white pubescence on its leaves and branches, and the wings of its fruit, described as yellowish, are really of a blood-red colour. The colour of the petals is remarkably constant in the same Terminalia species Welwitsch never noticed in Angola whitish or yellow petals in the typically red-flowering species, nor red petals in the typically white or yellowish species...

ISBN-13: 9781406780444
ISBN-10: 1406780448
Publication Date: 9/10/2007
Pages: 196
Rating:

0 stars, based on 0 rating

Publisher: Buck Press
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

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Search - Catalogue Of The African Plants Collected By Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch In 1853-61

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