Flowers of South Africa
| Flower Species Types of Flowers Aloe African Daisy Bicolor Iris Bush Lily Calla Lily Cape Honeysuckle Euphorbia Gazania Ice Plant Paintbrush Lily Wild Iris |
South Africa, especially the area known as the Fynbos Biome in the southern coastal region, blooms with floral biodiversity.
The area's beauty receives world wide attention, and many of those flowers are popular non-native perennial choices for homes and gardens in the United States.
The flowers presented here are considered relatively easy to grow in warmer climates, those commonly associated with zones 8-10 on the USDA Hardiness Zone Map. (note: The USDA hardiness zone maps are currently being updated. A changing climate suggests that a larger area of the southern United States, including some coastal areas, will now be included in zone 8).
Colder weather inhabitants can also catch a bit of South African beauty by populating their homes with houseplants. Here's a quick run down.
Three of the flowers have the name lily, Bush lily (Clivia miniata), Calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) and Paintbrush lily. None belongs to the true lily family, Liliaceae. Rather, they are all perennials, and each represents a different flower family.
Aloe, Euphorbia and Ice Plants are loosely categorized as succulents. Each of these succulents also represents a different flower family.
Irises are a popular category of flowers, found in a variety of climates from temperate to tropical. Two flowers, the Bicolor and the Wild irises, are representative of South African species popular in the United States.
South Africa also produces a fine crop of daisies, always a popular group of garden flowers. The African daisy, and the group of flowers in the genus Gazania represent two unique ways to celebrate daisies in the garden.
Cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis), a member of the bignonia family (Bignoniaceae), a tropical family of woody, flowering plants. Although not formally related to the native common honeysuckle plants (family (Caprifoliaceae), their flowers look equally colorful.
Please click on any link in the box on the right to learn more about a specific flower or group of flowers.
© 2008-2011 Patricia A. Michaels