In the first installment of”Coming to terms” (28 June), I discussed an type of inflorescence called a raceme. Today’s post is about a kind of “super raceme” called a panicle. This is a raceme with side-branches which in turn are also racemes.
The plant chosen as an example is Aloe perfoliata (A. comptonii), flowering on the Rooiberg plateau south of Calitzdorp 6 October 2012.
Photographed near Riethuis 1 April 2012. The flowers were not open yet as it was early in the afternoon.
Quiver tree or kokerboom is the local name for Aloe dichotoma.
As a rule I use a diaphragm of f/16 when photographing plants, because it usually gives the best combination of sharpness and Depth of Field. After taking this picture of Euphorbia pseudoglobosa last Sunday, I wondered what the result would be if I used the lens’s full opening. The result is shown below. Both pictures have their merits, but to me the second one is more interesting as it imparts a brooding atmosphere and a feeling of loneliness. I would be interested to hear your opinion.
This is the only species of the genus occurring in the Little Karoo. Photographed west of Ladismith 1 Nov. 2012.
These plants were photographed in the same area and the same period as Euphorbia obesa ssp. symmetrica (see yesterday’s post).
A rare plant in nature, only known from a small area between Willowmore and Rietbron. Photographed 7 April 2006.
This is one of the dwarf Euphorbias. According to literature it may become 15 cm tall, but the ones I have seen up to now were only a few cms. The pictures were taken south of Laingsburg, along the old road from Montagu to Ladismith, on the following dates: 1 and 2: 7 July 2009; 3: 1 May 2011; 4 and 5: 30 June 2013 (in other words: yesterday).
