Greyia radlkoferi

Family / Families: Melianthaceae
Scientific Name(s): Greyia radlkoferi Szyszyl
Institution(s): University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley
Location(s): Berkeley, California, USA
Entry Author(s): Lindsay Bourque
Copyright Holder(s): Nhu Nguyen aka xerantheum@Flickr
Image Permissions: Please contact the copyright holder for permission to use.
Photographer(s) Appreciation: Thank you to Nhu Nguyen, aka xerantheum@Flickr, for submitting today's photo (original image | Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool)!
Tags: Geraniales, Melianthaceae, University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley, via Flickr

The inflorescence of Greyia radlkoferi

Greyia radlkoferi is a riparian species occurring mainly in the mist-belt mountains of Swaziland and eastern South Africa (the provinces of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal). Cultivated as a popular garden plant in warm temperate and subtropical parts of the world, it is commonly known as woolly or Natal bottlebrush. Greyia has been confusing taxonomically, and has at various times been placed in Saxifragaceae, Sapindaceae, and Greyiaceae. It is currently placed in the Melianthaceae.

The etymology for this particular species is clear, however, with the genus Greyia being named for Sir George Grey (1812-1898), explorer and colonial governor of South Australia, the Cape Colony (present day South Africa) and New Zealand. The specific epithet honours Ludwig Radlkofer (1829-1927!), Professor of Botany and Director of the Botanical Museum in Munich.