Africa Wild

Index to Flowers in the Order Solanales

Family: Convolvulaceae
Ipomoea crassipes Wild Morning Glory viewtopic.php?f=248&p=170775#p170775
Ipomoea obscura obscura Wild Petunia viewtopic.php?p=203145#p203145
Ipomoea pes-caprae ssp. brasiliensis Dune Morning Glory viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3749&p=170776#p170776
Ipomoea rubens Water Morning Glory https://www.africawild-forum.com/viewto ... 58#p507258
Ipomoea shirambensis Zambezi Morning Glory viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3749&p=170777#p170777
Ipomoea wightii Morning Glory viewtopic.php?p=198424#p198424
Xenostegia tridentata angustifolia Mini Morning Glory, Merremia viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3749&p=170778#p170778

Family: Solanaceae
Datura inoxia Downy Thorn-apple viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3749&p=170779#p170779
Datura stramonium Jimson Weed, Downy Thorn-apple viewtopic.php?p=261362#p261362
Solanum campylacanthum Poison Apple, Apple of Sodom, Bitter Apple viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3749&p=170780#p170780

Wild Morning Glory Ipomoea crassipes (Wildepatata)
Order: Solanales. Family: Convolvulaceae



© leachy
Kruger National Park

Description
An extremely variable species. Perennial. This is a prostrate or scrambling creeper with purple flowers reaching up to 7 cm in diameter. The leaves have yellowish hairs and are held erect. Leaves very variable in shape and size, usually lanceolate to ovate.
Flowering time September to April, mostly November to January.

Distribution
Not endemic to South Africa. Occurs from Kenya southwards through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Angola, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to southern Africa (except the Western and Northern Cape), where it is common. Provincial distribution: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West

Habitat
It grows in bushveld and savanna but most­ly in grassland on sandy soil.

Links: Brett Hilton-Barber, Lee R. Berger: Field Guide to the Cradle of Humankind

Dune Morning Glory Ipomoea pes-caprae ssp. brasiliensis
Order: Solanales. Family: Convolvulaceae

© Lisbeth

Description
Creeping stems radiating from central rootstock. Can cover a few square meters. Long (10 m and more) red vines spreading over ground. Flowers mauve, with a darker eye, 5 petaled, scattered along vine. Leaves in pairs, entire, margins red, petiolate, butterfly shaped, usually notched at the tip.

Distribution
Not endemic to South Africa. Provincial distribution: Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape.

Habitat
Sand dunes.

Zambezi Morning Glory Ipomoea shirambensis
Order: Solanales. Family: Convolvulaceae

© leachy
Kruger National Park

Description
Perennial woody climber with large tubular pink flowers, usually flowering when entirely leafless. Leaves in fascicles on new shoots, heart-shaped, up to c. 8 × 5 cm, hairless or more or less pubescent. Flowers in dense clusters on the older shoots, funnel-shaped white to pale mauve-pink, dark purple-pink in the centre. Capsule ovoid, hairless, tipped by the persistent style.

Distribution
Botswana, Caprivi - Namibia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and northern South Africa (Limpopo).

Habitat
In sandy soils in dry deciduous woodland and bush.

© arks

© arks
Kruger National Park, Crook's Corner

Mini Morning Glory, Merremia Xenostegia tridentata angustifolia (Frankhout)
Order: Solanales. Family: Convolvulaceae. Tribe: Merremieae

© mposthumus
Kruger National Park, Pretoriuskop area

Description
Perennial herb with annual prostrate or twining stems up to 2 m. Leaf blade can be single or 3-lobed, lance-shaped. The leaves are linear to narrowly lanceolate with small toothed lobes at the base. Flowering time: Nov - Mar. The flowers are 15-20 mm in diameter, lemon yellow, sometimes with some red in the centre. They grow singly from the leaf axils.

Distribution
Tropical and southern Africa, tropical Asia and Australia. Provincial distribution in South Africa: Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West.

Habitat
A species of open woodland, grassland, roadsides,disturbed and cultivated land.

© Super Mongoose

© Super Mongoose

© Super Mongoose
Vaalkop Dam Nature Reserve, North West Province

Downy Thorn-apple Datura inoxia
Order: Solanales. Family: Solanaceae

© Toko

© Toko
Kruger National Park, S50, close to Kanniedood dam wall

Description
Datura inoxia is an annual shrubby plant that typically reaches a height of 0.6 to 1.5 metres. Its stems and leaves are covered with short and soft grayish hairs, giving the whole plant a grayish appearance. It has elliptic entire-edged leaves with pinnate venation. All parts of the plant emit a foul odor similar to rancid peanut butter when crushed or bruised. The flowers are white, trumpet-shaped, 12–19 cm. They first grow upright, and later incline downward. The fruit is an egg-shaped spiny capsule, about 5 cm in diameter. It splits open when ripe, dispersing the seeds. Another means of dispersal is by the fruit spines getting caught in the fur of animals, who then carry the fruit far from the mother plant. The seeds have hibernation capabilities, and can last for years in the soil. The seeds, as well as the entirety of this plant, act as deliriants, but have a high probability of overdose.
The closely related Datura stramonium differs in having smaller flowers and tooth-edged leaves.

Distribution
It is native to Central and South America, and introduced in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. In South Africa listed as a Category 1 Invader Plant: Plants must be removed & destroyed immediately.

Habitat
Invading riverbeds in Kruger National Park and elsewhere.

Links: Invasive Species South Africa

© leachy
Datura inoxia and Datura stramonium (Jimson weed), another alien weed in the background (Kruger National Park)

© Pumbaa
Kruger National Park, S50, Kanniedood Bird Hide

Poison Apple, Apple of Sodom, Bitter Apple Solanum campylacanthum, Solanum panduriforme (Gifappel)
Order Solanales. Family: Solanaceae

Kruger National Park © mposthumus

© leachy

© leachy
Kruger National Park

© nan
Kruger National Park, S119

Description
Perennial herb or herbaceous small shrub, growing to about 50 cm in height. Often unarmed but occasionally with a few prickles. Leaves elliptic, entire or slightly wavy on the margins, dark green above, paler and tomentose below. Stems usually without prickles.
Flowers pale to deep blue, mauve or purple (spring - summer).
Fruit mottled or striped green and white, yellow when ripe, about 20 mm in diameter, poisonous.
This plant has an extensive root system from which new plants sprout.

Distribution
Not endemic to South Africa. Provincial distribution: Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West.

Habitat
It is found mainly in grassland areas and bushveld. More frequent at medium to low altitudes and found also alsong roadsides, fallow lands and farm yards and in disturbed areas.



Links: Braam Van Wyk: A Photographic Guide to Wild Flowers of South Africa

Morning Glory Ipomoea wightii
Order: Solanales. Family: Convolvulaceae

© Duke
Cape Vidal, iSimangaliso, KwaZulu-Natal

Description
Perennial climber or prostrate creeping herb. Strong twiner, hairy throughout. Stems up to 3.5 m long, covered with spreading yellowish hairs. Leaves heart-shaped, deeply cordate at the base, unlobed or shallowly to deeply 3-lobed, green with more or less dense rough hairs above, densely covered in white stellate velvet below; margins entire or crenate. Flowers in few to many-flowered axillary clusters at end of common stalk c 5 cm long. Corolla funnel-shaped, 2-4 cm in diameter, mauve, magenta or pink, darker purple-pink in the throat. The rim of the corolla shows distinct mucronate points. Capsule spherical, bristly above.

Distribution
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zanzibar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, South Africa (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga). Also in Madagascar and tropical Asia.

Habitat
In woodland, grassland and forest, along rivers and in disturbed areas.

Wild Petunia Ipomoea obscura obscura
Order Solanales. Family: Convolvulaceae


Gardenia Hide, S119, Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park © mposthumus


Description
Perennial herb with trailing or twining stems up to 3 m long, growing from a narrow taproot. Leaves distinctly cordate (heart-shaped), 2.5-8.5 cm long, more or less pubescent on both surfaces; apex pointed; margin entire but wavy; petiole op to 11 cm long. Flowers pale apricot, yellow, cream or white, rarely with a purple centre. Capsule globose, tipped with the persistent style base. Flowering time: Nov - Feb.

Distribution
Widespread in tropical Africa, South Africa (Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West), Madagascar, Mascarene Islands and Seychelles. Also in tropical Asia, Australia (Queensland), Fiji, China and Taiwan.

Habitat
Open woodland, grassland, savannah, cultivated land and road sides.

Jimson Weed, Downy Thorn-apple Datura stramonium (Malpitte)
Order: Solanales. Family: Solanaceae

© arks

© arks
Mapungubwe National Park, along the Limpopo river

Description
Erect annual shrub, grows up to 1.5 m high with sparsely hairy to smooth, green, brown or purple stems. Leaves are dark green or purple on the upper surface and paler underneath the leaves, with the margins coarsely and irregularly toothed or lobed, and are sparsely hairy and bad smelling. Solitary white, mauve or purplish funnel-shaped flowers appear from October to March followed by brown hardened fruit capsules covered with slender spines up to 10 mm long.

Distribution
Native to Tropical America. A decladered invader. Category 1 NEMBA 1b. Found throughout South Africa.

Habitat
Roadsides, agricultural lands, disturbed areas, riverbanks.

Links: Invasive Species South Africa