Lily of the Nile – Agapanthus praecox
Contrary to what the name suggests, Agapanthus is not really a lily (i.e. African Lily as it is often called in Northern hemisphere) and it is found nowhere near the River Nile, in fact it is endemic to the coastal belt and inland mountainous regions of southern Africa, i.e. it only occurs in the wild in one place on Earth; South Africa, from the Cape Peninsula all the way to the mountain ranges south of the Limpopo river. For over three centuries taxonomists have debated this plant’s botanic affiliation. The genus Agapanthus was originally established by L’Heritier in 1788. It used to be included in the Liliaceae (lily family), was then moved to the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis and daffodil family), moved again into the Alliaceae (onion family) then back to Amaryllidaceae and now resides in its own family, the Agapanthaceae.
This plant has been known to Europe since the 17th century as a result of the activities of the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC, Dutch East India Company) and several European botanists (the Swedes, Carl Peter Thunberg and Carl Linnaeus, the Father of Taxonomy, comes to mind). The plant has been given a few common names over the years. In its first publication in Europe in 1679 it was called the African hyacinth. Linnaeus called it the African lily, and nowadays in Europe and America it is still known as the African lily, but also rather inappropriately as lily of the Nile. In South Africa they are commonly referred to as agapanthus.
The name Agapanthus is derived from the Greek agapé love and anthos, flower. There is no clear reason for this derivation although it could be interpreted as ‘lovely flower’ or ‘flower of love’. Agapeo means ‘to be contented with’ which is a possible derivation, i.e. ‘flower with which I am well pleased’. The specific name praecox means early, premature, unseasonable or precocious in Latin, and was possibly given because compared to the other species it is an early flowerer.
In southern Africa, Agapanthus is traditionally considered to be both a magical and a medicinal plant, specifically the plant of fertility and pregnancy. Xhosa women use the roots to make antenatal medicine, and they make a necklace using the roots that they wear as a charm to bring an abundance of healthy, strong children. The Zulu use agapanthus to treat heart disease, paralysis, coughs, colds, chest pains and tightness. It is also used with other plants in various medicines taken during pregnancy to ensure healthy children, or to augment or induce labour. In traditional Zulu culture, agapanthus rhizomes and roots are also used to make an infusion that is sprinkled on yards and huts to protect against thunderstorms.
Agapanthus contains several steroid saponins and sapogenins that generally have anti-inflammatory (reduce swelling and inflammation), anti-oedema (oedema = swelling due to accumulation of fluid), antitussive (relieve or suppress coughing) and immunoregulatory (have influence on the immune system) properties. Although the precise activity of agapanthus compounds is not known, preliminary tests have shown uterotonic activity (increases the tone of uterine muscles). However, Agapanthus is suspected of causing haemolytic poisoning in humans, and the sap causes severe ulceration of the mouth.
Hope you enjoy my collection of Agapanthus images!
New on iStockphoto, but not yet visible
Here are some of my new images accepted on iStockphoto, but not yet visible due to some site issues.
Oak bark texture, with branch scar. 
White door of a colorful building entrance.
For sale sign and a brick wall. 
Bureau de Change sign outside of building.
Aerial Victoria Falls
An unusual view over the edge of Victoria Falls. The Victoria falls (‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’) is 1 708 meters wide, making it the largest curtain of falling water in the world. It drops between 90m and 107m into the Zambezi Gorge and an average of 550,000 cubic metres of water plummet over the edge every minute.The Victoria Falls constitutes one of the most spectacular natural wonders of the world and is considered by some to be among the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The Local people call it “Mosi-oa-Tunya” — the smoke that thunders. Remarkably preserved in its natural state, Victoria falls inspires visitors as much today as it did David Livingstone in the 1860′s. The falls and the surrounding area have been declared National Parks and a World Heritage Site, thus preserving the area from excessive commercialisation.
Victoria Falls – the Smoke that Thunders
White backed vulture
The African White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) is widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa but populations are in decline. Loss of suitable habitat for foraging and breeding are among the most important causes, and future conservation will require identification of suitable remaining habitat and the threats to it and to the vultures in it.
Its is an obligate scavenger, feeding on the soft muscle, organ tissue and bone fragments of large mammal carcasses in groups. Hundred of these birds can strip a 50 kg carcass in three minutes.To see this in action, you have got to visit the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge in Zimbabwe. Each day a platter of meat, bones and left over’s from the adjacent Boma restaurant, is laid in a clearing below the deck at the Vic Falls Safari Lodge for the vultures to divulge on.
Hundreds of raptors gather in the skies above, circling overhead waiting for their daily portion of delicacies. White backed vultures, hooded vultures, marabou storks, yellow billed kites even a single tawny owl has been spotted. Spiralling downwards in ever decreasing circles, the birds descend and gather just to the edge of the clearing waiting eagerly for the guide to step back and make way for the onslaught of hungry scavengers. No time is wasted as they fight ferociously for their share, stealing from one another’s mouths if necessary. The feeding starts at 1pm daily; don’t be late because within about twenty minutes the table is cleared!
Conservation status: Classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List 2007 and listed on Appendix II of CITES.
Marabou storks
Marabou Storks (Leptoptilos crumeniferus) perched in a tree at sunset.
Marabou Storks are scavengers and are often found together with vultures around carcasses, but don’t be surprised when you see them around refuse dumps. They don’t rely solely on scavenging, they are omnivorous, and their food could include anything from termites, fish, locusts, grasshoppers, army-worm caterpillars, frogs, rodents, crocodile eggs and hatchlings, quelea nestlings, doves, young and adult flamingos, cormorant nestlings to pelican chicks. Their bill is not well suited for tearing flesh, and when feeding on carcasses, their main food outside the breeding season, they frequently wait for vultures to tear the meat into small pieces before attempting to grab it.
A large male Marabou Stork, standing up to 1.5 m tall and weighing nearly 9 kg, is one of the largest flying birds in the world. Their wingspan approaches 2.9 -3.5 m. Marabou Storks breed throughout the non-forested parts of tropical Africa, but are most numerous in the areas of moderate rainfall near the equator. You will find a Marabou Stork almost anywhere in tropical Africa where there is dry open savannahs near large lakes or rivers. Colonies are usually in trees, but occasionally on cliffs.
Airborne, the Marabou are superb flyers, soaring at high altitude across the plains. In normal flapping flight Marabous beat their wings slowly, at a rate of about 145 flaps per minute. When conditions permit they rely on thermal soaring and gliding for long distance movements. They are remarkably agile fliers for so large a bird and often perform aerial acrobatics when descending from high altitudes.
Conservation status: Due to its ability to adjust to human activity, the population of Marabou storks may actually be increasing. (National Zoo, 2000).
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