South Africa is recognised as one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to 20,000 species of flora, an astonishing 10% of the worlds flowering species, making it one of the top contributors to the global ecology. Seventy percent of the Capes Floral Kingdoms impressive 9,600 plant species, are found no where else on Earth. It is undeniable that the abundance and diversity of South African plants is astounding and no wonder why it is a popular tourist destination. The South African landscape is made up of different habitats formed by the flora which makes up the home for so many animal species. The flora is the key contributing factor for the biodiversity and ecological health on the land.
Throughout history plants, particularly succulents, have been used for their medicinal qualities by indigenous people. Through trial and error, they learnt what plants were edible, had medicinal purposes or the ones that need to come with a health warning. In other words, the ones that cause harm, are poisonous or deadly. To the present day, many of the plant species are still being used for their medicinal uses. Keep an eye out for our #factfriday where we will be exploring the interesting facts on some of these plants species, this week in particular.
Impala lily (Adenium multiflorum)
The Impala lily is a winter flowering plant in South Africa, which stands out with its beautiful bright white, pink, crimson and red bicoloured flowers. Despite its beauty changing the wintering landscape, it has a far more sinister characteristic. The Impala Lily blooms from July to mid-September. Some people say the shape of this plant resembles that of a Baobab tree. This deciduous tree or shrub can grow to a height of about 2 meters and for most of the year, has no leaves or flowers.
The Impala lily is a highly toxic plant which latex is poisonous and is known to contain over 30 types of chemicals that can affect the heart. There are certain species of Impala lily that its latex has a reputation to kill large antelope within 100 metres of them being pierced by an arrow tip. It is also used as a source of fish poison. The leaves and flowers are poisonous to goats and cattle, but the plants are sometimes browsed heavily without poisoning wild animals. The poisonous latex is found in the bark and the trunk of the plant.
Surprisingly, it is not all bad. The chemicals from the latex, if given in the correct dosage and mixed with the right ingredients, it could be used in the treatment for cardiac arrest. It has also been used in the treatments for snakebites and scorpion stings.
Come back next Friday for more interesting facts, #factfriday !
