crotons of Zimbabwe and South Africa

[annafl]

Just got back from an eleven day trip to Zimbabwe and South Africa. Thought of you all while there and decided to take photos of any crotons I came across. Most of our time was spent in the bush and not landscaped areas, however, the first couple of days we stayed at Victoria Falls Hotel and there were a few crotons to see there and in nearby areas. So sorry I don't know how to rotate the pics. Nothing earth shaking, but thought it might be interesting for some of you. I found this hedge interesting. It was a combination of acalyphas, red cloak, schefflera and crotons all cut together into straight edges. This interruptum was featured in this section.

 

[annafl]

The last two photos were taken in a village where most of the homes were modified huts or very basic rectangular homes made of locally made cement bricks. The only landscaped home I saw in this village was this one and it was by far the most affluent home in this community. It stuck out like a sore thumb and was wrapped with an iron fence. The homeowners chose crotons for their landscape! All crotons I saw were in full sun. I'm sure if we would have visited areas of Johannesburgh or Cape Town, we would have seen many more crotons, but we chose to stay in very rural areas. Notice the garage. This homeowner also had a car! A luxury in this town.

 

[kwtimo]

Pretty cool, Anna. I just acquired a copy of Florida's Beautiful Crotons from a bookseller in Durban. He got this copy from a well established nurseryman in Natal named Wilfred Grey, who was very passionate about crotons. The book even had a letter from Dr. Frank Brown to the nurseryman in it from 1991 when the Dr. was compiling research for a new reference book on crotons, seeking out new cultivars across the globe. Quite possibly the Codieaum Encylopedia. Very cool stuff. Hope your trip was amazing.

 

[annafl]

Great find, Tim. The things you find when you are tuned in to something. A bit of history is quite cool.

Yes, our trip was amazing. We spent most our time on safaris, not looking for crotons! We came to realize that this guy is the true king of the jungle. Our experience was that of being in a different world.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Wow,very cool,it looks like you had a great time

Great find, Tim. The things you find when you are tuned in to something. A bit of history is quite cool.

Yes, our trip was amazing. We spent most our time on safaris, not looking for crotons! We came to realize that this guy is the true king of the jungle. Our experience was that of being in a different world.

 

[Phil Stager]

Nice pics and probably the first ones on this board from that part of the world.

 

[ScotTi]

Thanks for the pictures Anna! That would be my dream vacation, as I have always wanted to go on an African Safari.

 

[palmisland]

Thanks for the pics. Africa is on my list & I'll get there some day. The "mixed" hedge is really cool. Enjoy the trip!

 

[koki]

I don't remember seeing crotons but I will never forget a giant plumeria the size of an oak tree in Mombasa. There was another variety of tree that stood alone and was enormous and completely dwarfed everything around. I would like to go back and take a closer look. Neat cycads too. Anna thanks for posting.

 

[annafl]

Mike, Scott, and Randy, this was our dream trip and we planned it at a time when our adult children could go with us, which is difficult. Eleven days is all we could manage with the four of us, but it was incredible. The stuff we saw was so exciting! We rode around the bush dirt trails, and sometimes cut through the bush in a large Land Rover with a guide and a tracker. Many of the animals in the area have seen the vehicle before, and we could get rather close without too much objection. My zoom lens did the rest. We were not allowed to stand up in the open Land Rover, and we were never able to get out unless it was in a large clearing with everyone together next to the vehicle and with the rifle handy. The guide explained that the animals see the vehicle and us in it as one large unit and recognize it as something that does not threaten them. If we stand up in it they see it as an act of aggression. If we get out, we are easy prey. We only had an interesting experience with a mama rhinoceros who was huge, and did not want us to go by her. It was clear to us from the look in her eye and slight aggressive advancement toward us. We promptly turned around and went back from whence we came!

We came upon these three year old lion 'cubs' resting in the grass. Notice the great camouflage and the tufts of mane just starting. The mama lioness was trying to bring down a baby buffalo for dinner. We witnessed her attacking the baby. However, in no time, the protective and very aggressive male buffalos in the large herd reared up and chased her away. They are huge and put up with no nonsense. It was an amazing thing to watch. Her hunt foiled, she called to the boys and they left on their way together to look for something else.

 

[annafl]

Toby, I wanted to say that I also saw a couple of extremely large plumerias with trunks like trees. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo.

Phil, I was hoping to see more crotons, but the areas we were in most of the time were wild and not landscaped. I was glad to run across the few I saw. It seems Zanzibar, Interruptum, and Aureomaculatum were used mostly. The other broader leafed two I saw a few times but didn't know what they were. Do you? Is the yellow one Mortii?

 

[annafl]

Scott or anyone, can you turn the first photo of interruptum right side up so I can enter it in the wiki? Thanks!

 

[ScotTi]

Here you go Anna...

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[ScotTi]

also turned these if you want to place them in the Wiki.

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[annafl]

Thanks, Scott! I'm not certain what the other ones are, so I only needed the interruptum since we were thin on photos of it. However, if anyone knows what they are, I would be interested. Thanks again. Ana