My flat teachers: herbarium specimens
I cannot remember everything that I learnt from my teachers in school, but I do try to remember everything that my flat teachers (herbarium specimens) are teaching me. Country to country, province to province, region to region and place to place; my flat teachers show me where specific species are found. They also show me the unique characters of each species and how these characters may vary from place to place.
Just recently, I visited a beautiful bush camp in Hluhluwe in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. I was so pleasantly surprised to find a little plant with a stunning flower staring back at me when I opened up the curtain. I knew it was a Hibiscus species because I have seen that flower before. I just wasn’t sure which Hibiscus species it was (there are over 50 species in Southern Africa), so I went to inspect it a little closer to get some photos. As soon as I looked at the flower, I remembered everything that my flat teachers have taught me about Hibiscus surattensis which is one of three Hibiscus species in the region with forked epicalyx bracts.
Wait…What is an epicalyx bract?
Many petals make up a corolla, and many sepals (the green leafy looking structures that surround the petals) make up a calyx. In some Hibiscus species there are two layers of calyx sepals (also known as calyx bracts) and the outer layer is called the epicalyx with epicalyx bracts. Have a look at the pictures below to help you understand.
My flat teachers taught me about this forked epicalyx character, but because they are flat, I never expected to see how proudly each little green epicalyx bract pushed away from the red calyx bracts. The epicalyx bract has two parts to it, one part that looks like a little spoon and another thin and straight part that forks off from the spoon.
The images show you how this species looks as a flat herbarium specimen (or flat teacher) as well as how it looks in the field. Look at the contrasting colors of the green epicalyx, on the red calyx, on the yellow petals with a dark red center! Beautiful.
There are only three Hibiscus species in southern Africa that have this epicalyx character. The other two species have two straight parts while Hibiscus surattensis is the only one that has the outer part shaped like a little spoon.
When I saw those little spoons with the straight part forking out, I knew immediately that my flat teachers had shown me this species before. Although I did not recall the name immediately, I was lucky enough to be able to open the cupboard when I returned to the herbarium and find my answer.
If it wasn’t for my flat teachers, I would not have been able to identify this species so quickly. Seeing these species in nature is so important to truly understand how each character is arranged in relation to the other. But we are so lucky to have flat teachers that will show us all the characters to look out for.
Thank you to my flat teachers! And thank you to all of the collectors that have filled the cupboards with more and more flat teachers for us to keep learning from!
