GUNNERA PERPENSA

This member of the Gunneraceae family was given this name by Carl Linnaeus in 1767. It is found in Burundi, Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan; Tanzania, Uganda, Zaïre, Zimbabwe and even on Madagascar. It can be found along rivers and creeks, growing in a rich soil with lots of water and some to lots of sun. The rhizomes can grow to three centimetres in diameter and a meter long. Depending on the conditions, the plant grow from fifteen centimetres to one meter. The flowers are from pink over pale violet to reddish brown. Also seen as a member of the Haloragaceae family. Named after Johan Ernst Gunnerus,1718-1773, Bishop of Trondheim - and botanist. The species name from Latin, perpenso: 'weigh exactly'.