Bauhinia galpinii

Bauhinia galpinii, commonly known as the pride-of-de-Kaap or in Afrikaans as vlam-van-die-vlakte (flame of the plain), is a shrub, sometimes a climber, occasionally a small, spreading tree reaching heights up to 5 m (SA tree List No. 208.2). The common name referring to De Kaap may confuse some as to the whereabouts of this plant in nature: the De Kaap valley is near Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, nothing to do with the Western Cape where the plant does not grow in nature.

The flowers of Bauhinia galpinii have done much to promote the plant among gardeners and pollinators, as illustrated by the one in action here.

The species distribution is in the north-eastern parts of South Africa, the provinces north of the Vaal River and KwaZulu-Natal. Over the border it also grows in eSwatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and further afield in tropical Africa.

The habitat includes various kinds of woodland, thicket, scrub, bushveld and along watercourses, often where there is high rainfall. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

Decoctions of roots and seeds of this plant feature in traditional medicine. Consider for a moment the trial and error, with long historical admixtures of guessing, luck and sudden insight that accompanies real life discoveries of plant uses for particular medical conditions. Communication, especially including to younger generations, memory challenges particularly taxing the aged of a community, and relearning plus added school fees from time to time that feature in retaining such knowledge. Much of this human species-wide endeavour of long standing forms part of the non-laboratory knowledge forerunners of pharmaceutical science and chemistry.

Successful trials of new plants, those that did not kill their subjects, allow more ingredients into the social mix of discovery. Components of recklessness, determination, panic, bravery and even cruelty pass from human memory as the knowledge base expands.

There are probably too few monuments on earth in honour of ancient (and who knows how recent) medical guineapigs. These unknown animal and human heroes or sacrifices of the profession represent milestones in the knowledge growth of our species (Manning, 2009; Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Gericke, 2000; Pooley, 1993; iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).