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Many, many thanks for your help with these, JB, and for your encouragement!

I've copied your replies here, so that they will be part of the info for this separate Cape ID thread.

I'm sorry you're having to battle to get forum access, agree with Imberbe (in the other thread) about those bribes

I'm really chuffed that I got 4 out of 5 of these, and those many, many diasies are most perplexing, especially when working with comparing one photo (mine) to another (fieldguide)

I will collect a few more of my remaining mysteries and post them soon, and I'll wait patiently for you to have time to have a look I'm continuing to always try to work the plants and flowers out for myself first, but I'm still lacking confidence in my own IDs. It helps enormously to have your confirmation!!

Here are some more of my many Cape flower mysteries. I have tried to work out the ID on all of them, but lack confidence in my IDs. These first three were all seen in West Coast National Park on 28 September 2007.

1. This first one is, I think, either solanum linnaeanum or solanum giftbergense. The leaves look more like the latter, but WCNP is in the range of the former (the latter's range is a bit farther north).



2. This one is, I think, ruschia tecta.





3. And this one, because of the toothed, lobed leaves, I think should be senecio arenarius rather than senecio elegans.





These next three are flowers that I saw in the Waylands Wildflower Reserve in Darling on 29 September 2007.

4. This shrub, which I saw in many different places in the Cape, is, I think, the pajama plant, lobostemon fruticosus. Colours ranged from palest pink to quite deep blue. Does anyone know why it's called pajama plant??





5. This is an ice plant, I think, but which one? None of the photos in my fieldguide show really red flowers, the closest seems to be lampranthus aurantiacus, but the fieldguide describes its flowers as orange. These were definitely red.



6. This is a type of iris, but again, which one? The closest photo I can find in my fieldguide is the moraea tricolor, or perhaps the peacock moraea moraea villosa? However, this flower seems quite a bit different from both of those



As always, any help and pointers will be much appreciated!

I would go with Solanum linnaeanum


Yes i agree with Ruschia, but to identify the species would require an expert


I would rather opt for Senecio elegans, because it is a taller plant than S. arenarius.


I agree
Unfortunately i don't know why it is called "pajama plant".
The common afrikaans name is "Agtdaegeneesbossie" (* directly translated means "eight day healing bush" and refers to the belief of some that this plant could heal a number of ailments within eight days.


Probably a Lampranthus yes but again only an expert on the group would be able to identify the species


Nope unfortunately not an iris, but a member of the Haemodoraceae. It is a Wachendorfia, probably W. paniculata.

Thanks SO much for your help with these, JB, and your illuminating comments. It is useful for me to know that identifying particular species of those daisies and ice plants is probably impossible Now I won't feel so frustrated when I can't find "matches" in my fieldguide.


Good point and one I can't tell from a photo (and poor memory!)


Very interesting that the Afrikaans name is so different from that English one. And interesting that this plant has healing properties.


Thanks for pointing me in the right direction on this! Since I was convinced that it was an iris, I didn't even look elsewhere in my book (And even so, I don't know that I would have found it )

Always a pleasure arks

I looked it up in some of my books last night but can not find any explanation for the name “pajama/pyjama plant”
The other Afrikaans vernacular name “douwurmbos” indicates the use for treating ringworm - “douwurm” = ringworm, “bos” = bush/shrub.

As for the healing properties:

The fresh leaves and twigs are used in medicine. Decoctions of the plant are an old Cape remedy for wounds, skin diseases and ringworm (as mentioned).
The fresh leaves and branch tips are ground to a paste and applied to wounds & the crushed leaves may be fried in sweet oil or fat and used as a wound healing ointment.

Infusions have also been used as a tea to treat internal problems and to purify the blood.
The tea is made of fresh leaves (apparently one quarter cup leaves to one cup boiling water; stand for five minutes, strain and drink) and drunk first thing in the morning; said to be a cure for ringworm in humans and animals.
This tea can also be used for skin diseases, rashes, eczema and sores, with bandages soaked in the brew, also for bites and scratches.

Further Lobostemon is closely related to Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), and may also contain allantoin, a substance well known for its wound-healing properties.

Thanks for the additional fascinating information, JB! And I just thought it was such a really pretty shrub

Here are a few more of my Cape mystery flowers The first two were seen in the Waylands wildflower reserve in Darling on 29 September 2007.

1.This first one is, I think, ornithogalum flaccidum, alternative latin name appears to be albuca flaccidum, common name rainflower?



2. This is, I think, either the snake flower (ornithogalum dubium) or else the yellow ixia (ixia dubia?



These two I saw on Waylands farm, but not in the wildflower reserve.

3. This one looks very much like a noxious weed we have in New England called vetch. There are several varieties; common or garden vetch is vicia sativa, which belongs to the pea family. The only thing in my fynbos book that looks close to this is also a type of pea, lessertia rigida, and there are no vicia plants in this book, so I'm puzzled.



4. This one is, I think, a type of iris (altho the common name appears to be Cape tulip? ), moraea flaccida? And the purple flowers are again that vetch-like pea.

Here is my comments on your last batch:


It is an Albuca. A very difficult group and rarely possible to get the species right, but A. flaccida is a good guess. There is an approach to merge Albuca with Ortnithogalum but due to various reasons is not followed by all botanists.


It is an Ixia, but unfortunately I cannot identify the species


This is a naturalized alien species. Very unfortunate that many of the Cape wild flower guides ignore naturalized aliens, yet these are amongst the most frequently encountered wild flowers!! Your plant is Vicia benghalensis. We also get V. sativa in the Cape, but it has solitary flowers borne in the axils of the leaves.


I would say it is Homeria miniata.

Many thanks, as always, JB, for your help with these tricky Cape IDs. I am in awe of your extensive and detailed knowledge. Thanks for helping me to increase mine!

I just want to know if this is the King Protea. I went for a walk and saw this close to where I live. Its beautiful.

Wow, CD, that's a beaut — and yes, it is the King, lucky you to see such a gorgeous one.

And a belated Welcome Home from your USA stay. Perhaps we'll meet when I'm next in the Cape, BB and Caracal are good at organising Capie meets

PS: Enjoy WCNP tomorrow and if you're driving up the R27, slow down as you come over the rise passing the picnic spot, the view up the coast towards Yzerfontein and beyond is heartstopping — at least for me. And I can also recommend that you explore Darling Hills Road, which is the left turnoff to Groote Post wine farm, one of my personal "secret places"

Thanks arks, its great to be back and yes I will slow down on R27. Haven't been to any SANParks since we came back, I'm really excited.

Hi,

Could anybody help me identify some of the flowers we saw in Table Mountain National Park on the 9 - 11 December.

































































Thanks,

Samantha

Hi,

I need some help identifying these plants I saw in the Karoo National Park.













Thanks,

Samantha

I need HELP somebody, anybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Samantha