Brunsvigia Orientalis is one of the exciting surprises experienced in the late summer at Klipopmekaar. The emergence of large pinkish bulbs suddenly pushing their way above ground in March and April, and then very quickly elongating and becoming topped with spectacular red spherical flowerheads is a sight to behold! What makes them even more surprising is that they pop up out of the bare ground, normally without a leaf in sight!

Their common names include: candelabra flower, king candelabra, chandelier lily, chandelier plant (Eng.), ajuinbol, koningskandelaarblom, kandelaarblom, kandelaarlelie, lantanter, Maartblom, marsblom, perdespookbossie, rolbossie, seeroogblom and tanteletant (Afr.)

Description

A large bulbous perennial from which flowers emerge between February and March. The flowerhead forms a huge sphere, up to 600 mm in diameter, with between 20 to 80 flowers. These are large, 6-tepalled, pink to red and are soon followed by the 3-sided seed capsules.

The leaves appear from about May, after the flowerhead has dried and broken off. There are generally 6 large tongue-shaped leaves spread flat on the ground. The margins are often fringed. Leaves start to die down from about October and the bulb lies dormant during summer.

Distribution

These plants occur on from southern Namaqualand to the Cape Peninsula and Plettenberg Bay.

Derivation of name and historical aspects

The genus Brunsvigia honours the House of Brunswick.

The common name kandelaarblom was first noted in about 1750. Many of the common names refer to the candelabra-like inflorescence and have been extended to several other species in the family with a similar appearance.

Some of the names refer to flowering time, while others such as rolbossie and perdespookbossie refer to the inflorescence which tumbles (rol) along and which may spook horses (perde) in so doing!

Apparently if you stared long enough at the flower you got sore eyes, hence the name sore-eye flower! A more likely explanation is that pollen in the eyes would account for the irritation. Hesse reported that the very first kandelaarsbloem to flower in Europe was in the Academy Garden of Helmstad, but no date is given.

Seed Ecology

The candelabra flower, like many other amaryllids, has adapted to the dry period of the year by resting underground in the form of a large bulb. In the Western Cape the dry season is summer. All above-ground parts dry out during this time to help prevent moisture loss through transpiration. Just before the rainy season is due to start the huge flowerhead appears.

Birds, including sunbirds, are the chief pollinators. They perch on the sturdy flower stems, receiving a reward of nectar for their pollination activities.

Once the seed begins to develop the flower stalks elongate and the inflorescence dries out. The dry flower stalks snap off and the wind sends the spherical heads tumbling along. The tips of the inflorescence containing the seeds break off, so spreading them. They are fleshy, with a very short viability period, and germinate immediately. Seeds may even germinate while still on the flowerhead. This strategy allows the seedling a full rainy season to develop sufficiently to withstand its first dry period underground.

Leaves usually appear well after the flowers. Because both the inflorescence and the leaves lose relatively large amounts of moisture, this adaptation prevents large quantities of moisture being lost at any one time, reducing stress on the plants.

The above information about Brusvigia Orientalis has been sourced from the South African National Biodiversity Institute, South Africa.

Since the company started trading in June 2010, BOS have always set out to do more than just produce really great tasting – not to mention good-looking – ice tea.

From day one, BOS began working in partnership with local companies who share their principles. BOS Co-Founder Richard Bowsher got in touch with Greenpop, a Cape Town based non-profit organization, and brainstormed their tree pledging program. And ever since June 2010 Greenpop have been planting one tree for every 2000 cans or tetra packs of BOS sold.

To date, that’s over 2000 trees planted in underprivileged, under-greened schools and public spaces – all in under 3 years!

As BOS Co-Founder Grant Rushmere explains, “We live in a time of consumerism and are acutely aware that consumer products put strain on the environment. What we are seeking to do with our tree planting is to assist in neutralising that effect. Our philosophy is to change from the inside, through action, and hopefully inspire others to do the same.”

“BOS was our first Greenpop Tree pledgee back in 2010”, says Lauren O’Donnell, Greenpop’s Director, “and it’s amazing to have planted over 2000 trees on their behalf already. We value their contribution as both a strategic partner and tree pledgee and we hope to continue our fantastic working relationship.”

In the next few days, BOS will also launch a virtual reality tree-planting app, “BOSify YOUR WORLD”, and have committed to planting one actual tree for every 2000 virtual trees planted using this app, which can be activated by scanning the QR code on a can of BOS Ice Tea, “Now that we have seen the positive effects of the tree planting and the future potential, we are more determined than ever to expand this awareness. The soon to be released tree planting app will accelerate this action. Our goal is to plant 50,000 trees by 2020,” says Grant.

They understand that one company cannot change the world, but they’ll continue to strive to make a difference.

Refreshing isn’t it? Just imagine the possibilities…

Visit: http://www.bosbrands.com/social-greening/

BOS rooibos is available at select Pick ‘n Pay’s, select Spar’s and hundreds of other outlets nationwide.

Important scientific evidence that supports some of the health benefits associated with rooibos tea has emerged from studies in Japan and Germany.

A study carried out at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology confirmed that aspalathin – the unique flavonoid in rooibos tea – is able to help lower raised blood sugar levels and improve the metabolism of glucose. The Japanese research team investigated the anti-diabetic action of aspalathin in living muscle cells and a diabetic mouse model which was able to shed light on the specific mechanisms involved at molecular and cellular level. Its results have been published in the December 2012 issue of the European Journal of Nutrition. (The abstract is available online – click here)

The team in Japan currently collaborates with South African rooibos researchers at the Medical Research Council and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) as part of a scientific co-operation agreement between Japan and South Africa.

These latest results add further weight to a previous study by them, published in 2009, and a 2012 study by the South Africa researchers. The latter study found that an aspalathin-enriched extract of green Rooibos is able to lower raised glucose levels in the blood of diabetic rats. Further work to elucidate the mechanism(s) whereby the chemical constituents present in Rooibos can affect the metabolism is on-going.

In another study, this time at Heidelberg University in Germany, scientists demonstrated that rooibos tea has the potential to promote longevity in living organisms. Using roundworms (Caenorhabditis elegans) as a model, they produced evidence that rooibos decreased oxidative damage in their cells. They were also able to show that aspalathin played a major role in their survival rate by targeting stress and ageing related genes. Local researchers from the ARC and the University of Johannesburg are co-authors on the research paper published in the December 2012 issue of the scientific journal Phytomedicine. (This abstract is also available online – click here)

“It is encouraging that international researchers are taking such an interest in South Africa’s herbal teas and that their findings help to improve our understanding of the health properties of rooibos tea,” says Professor Lizette Joubert, herbal tea expert at the Agricultural Research Council. “This should provide further impetus to our efforts to understand the chemistry and biological properties of rooibos and other herbal teas so that we will be able to advise people how to get the maximum health benefit from these unique South African teas.”

Its been fascinating to immerse myself in biological soil science. In the pursuit of knowledge about this subject, I received recommendations to read two excellent books which I would in turn like to recommend to other rooibos farmers and farmers in general.

1) The Biological Farmer by Gary Zimmer

Herewith a purchase link and book description from Amazon.com:

Biological farmers work with nature, feeding soil life, balancing soil minerals and tilling soils with a purpose. The methods they apply involve a unique system of beliefs, observations and guidelines that result in increased production and profit. This practical how-to guide elucidates their methods and will help you make farming fun and profitable.

A safe and sustainable system designed to keep production up. Biological farming does not mean less production; it means eliminating obstacles to healthy, efficient production. Once the chemical, physical and biological properties of the soil are in balance, you can expect optimal outputs, even in bad years. Biological farming improves the environment, reduces erosion, reduces disease and insect problems, and alters weed pressure and it accomplishes this by working in harmony with nature.

A common-sense approach. Biological farming focuses on ways to reduce input costs and to increase profits while improving soil conditions and livestock health.

Taking care of the soil. Skilled biological farmers learn how to take care of soil life they nurture it, feed it a balanced diet, and use tillage tools and methods to enhance soil life.

Learn how to fertilize. Biological farmers learn proper fertilizer uses to correct mineral and nutrient imbalances and to feed plants and soil life.

This is the farming consultant’s bible. It schools the interested grower in methods of maintaining a balanced, healthy soil that promises greater productivity at lower costs, and it covers some of the pitfalls of conventional farming practices. Zimmer knows how to make responsible farming work. His extensive knowledge of biological farming and consulting experience come through in this complete, practical guide to making farming fun and profitable.

2) Hands-on Agronomy, Understanding Soil Fertility & Fertilizer Use by Neil Kinsey

Herewith a purchase link and book description from Amazon.com:

The soil is more than just a substrate that anchors crops in place. An ecologically balanced soil system is essential for maintaining healthy crops. This is a comprehensive manual on soil management. The “whats and whys” of micronutrients, earthworms, soil drainage, tilth, soil structure and organic matter are explained in detail. Kinsey shows how working with the soil produces healthier crops with a higher yield drawing on his wide range of experience as a master consultant. Learn how to balance soil nutrients for maximum yield. Discover why simple N-P-K fertilization isn’t enough. Understand the proper use of manures, compost, tillage, micronutrients and more. Kinsey gives first-rate science that brings organic culture and conventional farming together on speaking terms and indicts toxic rescue chemistry at the same time.

Enjoy!

If you’d like to learn more about where rooibos comes from and how it is transformed from indigenous plant to delightful herbal tea in your cup, then click on these two youtube links:

Brief history of Rooibos

How Rooibos is produced and processed

PS: Some of the Cederberg mountain images featured in the rooibos history clip are of various peaks on the Western boundary of the Klipopmekaar organic rooibos farm …

BOS Ice Tea is one of the first companies in South Africa to package its beverages with the delightful and practically designed Tetra Prisma packaging. With no preservatives, fabulous refreshing natural flavours, no caffeine, less sugar than competing ice teas, a handy one year shelf life, top quality organic rooibos from Klipopmekaar and packed with BOS goodness, the BOS 1L packs have great market potential … especially for health and quality concious families. Leading South African supermarkets have embraced the new product range and loyal BOS customers are packing their fridges with their favourite family beverage for the summer holidays. Go BOS this summer!

The research was carried out at the Danone Research Centre for Specialised Nutrition in Wageningen, the Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital in Utrecht. The study was published in the Virology Journal and full text is available online.

The research team investigated 150 extracts with known nutritional uses to test its effect on rotaviruses. They found 11 extracts able to inhibit rotavirus, but only three, including Rooibos, were found to have strong and significant antiviral activity. They have concluded that these plant extracts, including Rooibos, are potentially useful in the treatment of rotavirus infections.

Worldwide, rotaviruses are a leading cause of severe dehydrating diarrhoea in children under the age of five and cause the deaths of nearly half a million children younger than five, every year. It is therefore important to find potent, accessible and widely affordable ways to restrain rotavirus and to treat patients.

Researchers found that an aspalathin-enriched extract of green Rooibos is able to lower raised glucose levels in the blood of diabetic rats. Aspalathin is a unique antioxidant found in nature only in the Rooibos plant (Aspalathus linearis). When combined with rutin, another key compound in Rooibos tea, the glucose-lowering action was further enhanced.

Working with diabetic rats, the researchers were able to show that the Rooibos extract could achieve a glucose lowering effect comparable to known diabetic drugs. “Our work confirms the constituents present in Rooibos could prove beneficial in the fight against diabetes,” says Doctor Johan Louw of the MRC who led the study. “We believe that Rooibos can provide a basis to develop a standardised anti-diabetic product and in a country like South Africa, where a large section of the population relies on herbal medicines, such a product could be of huge value.”

“We have also confirmed that the polyphenols in complex mixtures, such as Rooibos tea, work synergistically to achieve favourable health effects,” Louw explains. “This points to the value of drinking the ‘whole’ tea containing the required amount of these beneficial constituents, rather than a tablet containing just one of the compounds.

“Our Rooibos research to date focused mostly on the antioxidant activity of Rooibos, but this evidence of its ability to lower blood glucose levels opens up new and exciting possibilities for this unique South African herb” says Prof Lizette Joubert of the ARC who collaborated on this project. “We now need to dig deeper to determine the optimal combination and ratio of the active compounds such as aspalathin and rutin in controlling blood glucose levels, and also to understand the exact mechanisms involved.” Follow-up studies indicated that other compounds are also important.

The study has been published online on 19 October 2012 in the Journal of Phytomedicine.

This Rooibos and diabetes study was funded jointly by the National Research Foundation of South Africa, the Medical Research Council and the Agricultural Research Council, with contributions to post-doctoral fellowships from the Department of Science and Technology. Prof Stephen Fey from the University of Southern Denmark also collaborated on the study.

Notes:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 439 million people will have diabetes by 2030, with the major increase occurring in developing countries.

• World Diabetes Day is celebrated on 14 November to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, was instrumental in the discovery of insulin in 1922, a life-saving treatment for diabetes patients.

The spring starts with drifts of white rain daisies and tiny yellow button daisies, blue flax and pink nemesias. The Cederberg, Groot Winterhoek and Matzikamma mountains, and the arid beauty of the Knersvlakte and Hardeveld, have become covered in carpets of daisies, yellow gansogies, felicias, nemesias and vygies in between. Sheltering between the taller plants are beautiful gems like winecups, sparaxis, lachenalias and babianas. The recently planted rooibos tea fields are also awash with flowers between the planted rows.

The annual ten-day Clanwilliam Wild Flower Show is presented by the Clanwilliam Wild Flower Association is also underway. It starts at the end of August and ends first week in September and is certainly worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Volunteers happily create and arrange a fabulous “flowerscape” inside Clanwilliam’s charming Old Dutch Reformed Church. Some rare handjies (Cyanella alba) are collected annually at Klipopmekaar by our neighbour Haffie Strauss for the show. Over 300 species are exhibited at the show. A special botanical section also provides common and botanical names for all exhibited flowers. There is also a special focus on rooibos tea (aspalathus linearis) amongst this years exhibits.

Although it seems like a helluva claim … apparently it is alleged that the greatest variety of wild flowers in one district in the world happen to make their appearance in the greater-Clanwilliam region. You be the judge!

For more information about the show, check out the flower festival web site