Bright Radial. Greyia sutherlandii, Natal Bottlebrush, Botanische Tuin Zuidas, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The first scientific description of Greyia sutherlandia was written by William Henry Harvey (1811-1866) in 1859. He marvels at the fact that no-one before him has done so because Greyia is such an obvious bright plant in Natal. He does, however, refer to what Allen Francis Gardiner (1794-1851) observed in his book on Natal where the latter had travelled in 1835. Gardiner was a British Royal Navy officer turned Christian missionary (in Natal he took the name 'Hambanathi' to enjoin the Native population 'to come with us' Christians, a quote from the Biblical book of Numbers 10.29). He roamed widely, adventuresome and intrepidly in South Africa and in South America. In his book on the 'Zooloo Country', Gardiner draws our plant and gives a layman's description of it. Harvey identified it as this Greyia, but sharply remarks in the way of a professor: 'It is greatly to be regretted that intelligent travellers in new countries should be so ignorant of botany and the simplest botanical terms' to qive an adequate description.
Bright Radial. Greyia sutherlandii, Natal Bottlebrush, Botanische Tuin Zuidas, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The first scientific description of Greyia sutherlandia was written by William Henry Harvey (1811-1866) in 1859. He marvels at the fact that no-one before him has done so because Greyia is such an obvious bright plant in Natal. He does, however, refer to what Allen Francis Gardiner (1794-1851) observed in his book on Natal where the latter had travelled in 1835. Gardiner was a British Royal Navy officer turned Christian missionary (in Natal he took the name 'Hambanathi' to enjoin the Native population 'to come with us' Christians, a quote from the Biblical book of Numbers 10.29). He roamed widely, adventuresome and intrepidly in South Africa and in South America. In his book on the 'Zooloo Country', Gardiner draws our plant and gives a layman's description of it. Harvey identified it as this Greyia, but sharply remarks in the way of a professor: 'It is greatly to be regretted that intelligent travellers in new countries should be so ignorant of botany and the simplest botanical terms' to qive an adequate description.