Sparrmannia africana

The Kapländische room Linde ( Sparrmannia africana ) is a plant of the genus room Linden ( Sparrmannia ) in the mallow family ( Malvaceae ); it is located exclusively in South Africa. Has become famous because of their similar linden leaf shape called a room Linde plant as popular, present in culture for over 150 years houseplant.

2.1 stem and leaves
2.2 Flower and fruit
2.3 Seismonasty as special pollination strategy

5.1 History
5.2 ornamental shapes
5.3 for location
5.4 Propagation and cultivation
5.5 Applying fertilizers and pesticides

Origin of the name

Botanical Name

Sparrmannia africana was first described in 1782 by Carl Linnaeus, Jr., the son of Carl Linnaeus. For the botanical genus name of Kapländischen rooms Anders Linde Sparrman was the inspiration. Sparrman was a Swedish physician and botanist. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus and took from 1772 to 1775 on the second voyage of discovery by James Cook in part. Together with Carl Peter Thunberg, he explored the South African flora and should thereby have discovered the Kapländische room Linde and introduced to Europe. The correct spelling of the botanical genus name was binding as " Sparrmannia " set in 1993. However, one often finds the name spelled " Sparmannia ".

German name

The German name refers in part to the origin of the Kapländischen Linde room, which is located exclusively in the South African Cape and on the other to the striking resemblance especially the leaves with those of Linde. Widely used as a German name is the short form " room Linde".

Botanical description

Stem and leaves

The Kapländische room Linde is a much stockier, tree-like shrub that can grow up to 7 meters high in his homeland. The stem woody very fast, the leaves are dropped with increasing degree of lignification.

The leaves of the linden Kapländischen rooms are simple in construction and in outline triangular- cordate. The leaf margin is serrated sinuate. The leaves are light to medium green with a distinct Blattnervatur on. Distinctive features of the leaves are on the one hand the very dense pubescence and on the other the size. Leaves the room Kapländischen Linde can be up to 20 cm long and nearly as wide.

Flower and Fruit

The flowers of the linden Kapländischen rooms have four white, not overgrown narrow sepals and four also white, non- deformed and significantly larger petals.

Conspicuous are the stamens. They come in great numbers before around the inconspicuous carpel and are conspicuously colored yellow- red. In its overall arrangement they project into a semi-circular tufts from the open flower. In the inner circles the stamens ( stamens ) are fertile. The outer circles towards the stamens are partially sterile and are therefore functionally described as staminodes. Stamina and staminodes are both lovely sensitive (see section: Seismonasty ).

The numerous flowers are organized in an inflorescence, an apparent umbel or Doldenthyrse. Main flowering period in the natural habitat are the months of January to March. Pollination is done by insects ( Entomogamie ). As a fruit, the Kapländische room Linde on a stachelborstige capsule. The design of the fruit while helping to spread the seed. The prickly outer shell of the fruit hangs by Velcro on the fur of passing animals so the spread of fruit and seed contribute contained therein ( Epizoochorie ).

Seismonasty as special pollination strategy

The stamens of Kapländischen room Linde are capable due to external stimuli to active movements ( Nastie ). The motion stimulus is contact with the stamens of rooms Linde extreme vibrations ( Seismonasty ). Central site of stimulation is the outside of the stamen base with active excitation forwarding to the neighboring stamens. It is then often be triggered by potential pollinators, active and outward Stamen movements. This is the stripping of the pollen to the pollinators and thus its spread. Similar reactions can be found for example in barberry (Berberis ), prickly pear ( Opuntia ) or knapweed (Centaurea ).

System

The Kapländische room Linde ( Sparrmannia africana ) belongs to the mallow family ( Malvaceae ), and is divided there into the subfamily of Grewioideae. At this subfamily also known crop jute belongs in the genus Corchorus. The genus of rooms Linden ( Sparrmannia ) include not only Sparrmannia africana further 6 species and additional subspecies, there is no consensus about their botanical nomenclature in the literature.

An earlier classification of Kapländischen room Linde in the family of the Linde family ( Tiliaceae ) could not be sustained by more recent molecular biological work. This also led to the fact that the family of Linde plants was as a new subfamily Tilioideae also one - or subordinate in the mallow family.

Dissemination

The Kapländische room Linde is one, as can be seen already from the German name for diverse floral kingdom of Capensis. The only area of distribution is the tip of South Africa with an area between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. From the point of view geobotanischer Kapländische room Linde is one of the so-called tall herb fringe communities of tropical - African Mountains in southeastern Africa.

As an ornamental shrub reintroduced, but not naturally occurring, it is (, Bolivia here near La Paz in about 3000 m above sea level ) can also be found in the western U.S. (California ) and in South America.

Use as an ornamental plant

History

Shortly after its discovery and initial characterization Kapländische the room Linde was introduced in 1790 to England, and shortly thereafter in the rest of Europe. She enjoyed rapidly increasing popularity and the first varieties developed. Even in 1914 you could read in Hesdörffers manual of practical gardening room: " Among the best plants room the room Linde an excellent place takes a common ground ." But in the course of the 20th century, changing living conditions were again somewhat neglected the Kapländische room Linde. In the 1980s it was 'rediscovered' as a decorative leaf and flower plant and enjoys today in the age of modern indoor greenery due to their manifold advantages of large popularity.

Ornamental forms

The commonly cultivated varieties of Kapländischen room Linde are:

' Flore pleno ' (also called ' flora pleno ') with double flowers.
'Nana' as a diminutive form.
'Variegata' with white-green variegated leaves.

Chance of seed nurseries are also seeds of related species Sparrmannia ricinocarpa offered.

Habitat requirements

The Kapländische room Linde generally prefer a bright and cool location with higher humidity and possible out of direct sunlight. For winter storage should not be 8-12 ° C is exceeded or undershot.

Propagation and cultivation

The Kapländische room Linde can be propagated via seed. However, more commonly, the propagation by cuttings or head side cuttings of flowering shoots as possible. As the substrate normal with peat culture substrate is slightly higher clay content. The multiple Pinching promotes branching of young shoots of the plant, after pollination a significant pruning should be done. The temporary planting ( in wire baskets ) to September is also possible in gardens throughout the summer, from May, here the plants can reach a height up to 3 meters. The rest of the room Kapländischen Linde extends from October to December, then appear from January to April the weak fragrant umbels.

Be taken to ensure adequate and regular water supply - Due to the large leaf mass and a high evaporation rate must - especially in the summer. The Kapländische room Linde is well-suited for hydroponics.

Fertilizers and pesticides

Here the Kapländische room Linde differs only slightly from other leaf and green plants. The problem is an infestation of the western flower thrips ( Frankliniella occidentalis) or whitefly ( Trialeurodes vaporariorum ). If too wet culture is generally the liability of gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) in the weichlaubigen plants.

Because of, and in good conditions, high growth rates in the main growth phase, the Kapländische room Linde needed regular weekly fertilization with a fertilizer.

Toxicity at room Linden

In literature and in medical databases is reported from mild skin and mucous membranes through the densely hairy leaves the room Kapländischen Linde. This results partly to a classification of the plant as " slightly toxic ". It is unclear, however, whether this irritation caused by chemical ingredients of rooms Linden and thus any existing glandular hairs, or whether it is a purely mechanical stimulus. Analyses conducted in 1940 and 1958 brought no uniform results, with a mechanical stimulus can be assumed to be more likely.

Others

The Kapländische room Linde has the same generic name as a artreiche genus of the family of scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae ), which includes the May and June beetles belong to. The zoological genus Sparrmannia includes 23 different species, some of which are located in South Africa. Again, there are the two spellings " Sparrmannia " and " Sparmannia ".

The Kapländischen room Linde is also attributed to a positive effect in the teaching of Feng Shui. As a plant with big, harmoniously shaped leaves they should cause here at the interior design of a better flow of energy (Qi).

Also it is recommended in the Innenraumbegrünung as appropriate houseplant for a natural indoor climate improvement. Due to their large leaf mass and the resulting high levels of evaporation, it is likely to affect the natural humidity in enclosed spaces positive.

Anders Erikson Sparrman Bur Transpiration Eduard Strasburger

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