Flora in Kivu, DR Congo
I have searched in vain so far for a list of plants native to Kivu - immediately west of the E. African Rift, and west of Lake Kivu. This is a frivolous enquiry to the extent that it is meant to assist me with writing a novel rather than the serious business of cultivating my garden.
Some of the action in my novel is based in Northern Kivu. A character names all her children after flowers and I decided one must be called MIMOSA - because I like the name. But I discover that is not native to Africa. I can get around it by allowing the mother to be similarly attracted to the name! but would rather use a native plant if possible. Hence the need for a list. Or has anyone got a suggestion? Many thanks for any help/advice. |
Flora in Kivu, DR Congo
In message , e-quill
writes I have searched in vain so far for a list of plants native to Kivu - immediately west of the E. African Rift, and west of Lake Kivu. This is a frivolous enquiry to the extent that it is meant to assist me with writing a novel rather than the serious business of cultivating my garden. Some of the action in my novel is based in Northern Kivu. A character names all her children after flowers and I decided one must be called MIMOSA - because I like the name. But I discover that is not native to Africa. I can get around it by allowing the mother to be similarly attracted to the name! but would rather use a native plant if possible. Hence the need for a list. Or has anyone got a suggestion? Many thanks for any help/advice. I've looked for this sort of thing before without success. There is an Africa wide list at African Flowering Plants Database (URL:http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php), where you could work through the "distribution" maps. Aluka also have information on African plants, and you can drill down in its database as far as DR Congo (URL:http://www.aluka.org/action/doBrowse...t=6897&t=6901& br=tax-geo-tdwg%7Cdistributed-in%7Cgeography-country) Off-line, the nearest thing to a standard flora for the region seems to be Robyns' Flore des spermatophytes du Parc National Albert (1948-55). I had assumed that you would need an inter-library loan to get this, but it turns out that it's online at URL:http://cd.chm-cbd.net/archives_rdc/a...ns/exploration -du-parc-national-albert/mission-j-verhoogen-1938-1940 There's a list of plants in The Biodiversity of the Virunga Volcanoes (URL:http://programs.wcs.org/portals/49/m...es_Biodiv_surv ey.pdf -- Stewart Robert Hinsley |
Excellent info, for which many thanks Stewart. I shall delve. Duncan
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