The flowering plants of South Africa; vol. 1

A MAGAZINE CONTAINING HAND-COLOURED FIGURES WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FLOWERING PLANTS INDIGENOUS TO SOUTH AFRICA. EDITED BY I. B. POLE EVANS, C.M.G., M.A., D.Sc., F.L.S., Chief, Division of Botany and Plant Pathology, Department of Agriculture, Pretoria; and Director of the Botanical Survey of the Union of South Africa. VOL. I.
The veld which lies so desolate and bare Will blossom into cities white and fair, And pinnacles will pierce the desert air, And sparkle in the sun. R. C. Macfie’s “Ex Unitate Vires.”
Division of Botany, Pretoria, August, 1921 .
The cultivation of South African plants in Europe dates back to early times.
Indeed, it may safely be assumed that it was in vogue soon after the Dutch settlement at the Cape, for Holland during the 16th and 17th centuries held first place in European horticulture. Her cities even vied with one another in the establishment of gardens of exotic plants, many of which came from the Cape.
These treasures created such interest and attracted such attention that Cape plants soon became the fashion and object of envy throughout Europe. Collectors were specially despatched to these shores for the purpose of hunting out and securing their botanical wealth.
Evidence also is not lacking that the cultivation of indigenous plants was carried out at the Cape prior to 1700.
Be this as it may, little remains to-day in South Africa to do credit to the past preservation and cultivation of our native flora.
In recent years, however, considerable interest has again sprung up in this direction; in fact, it is rapidly becoming fashionable to have a rockery of aloes, vijgies, and other succulents as one of the chief adjuncts to the garden.
Apart from these—perhaps better-known plants—there are many beautiful flowering herbs, shrubs and trees of the veld, which might with advantage be grown in our gardens and around our homes.