Ariel Garce — Having turned 30 and made just a solitary friendly appearance since Diego Maradona took over as national coach, Ariel Garce was a surprise selection in the Argentina squad. Known as El Chino since his childhood, Garce had planned to travel to South Africa with his friends to support La Albiceleste, but was more than happy to change …

Andrew John Strauss, (born 2 March 1977) is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is captain of England. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots. Strauss is also known for his fielding strength at slip or in the covers. He made his …

Andres Iniesta is one of a long line of gifted creative midfielders to have come off the FC Barcelona production line, following in the footsteps of such luminaries as Josep Guardiola, Ivan de la Pena and Xavi. Iniesta was spotted by Cule club scouts at the age of 12, and within months had made the move to the Catalan giants’ …

Alvaro Pereira — Alvaro Daniel Pereira Barragan is another fine example of how perseverance and sacrifice are crucial ingredients for a successful football career. The Montevideo native started out with lowly Miramar Misiones where he made his debut in 2004. Two years he later he crossed the Rio de la Plata to try his luck with Argentinean outfit Quilmes, with …

Litchi — The Lychee (Litchi chinensis), also spelled Litchi (the U.S. FDA spelling) or Laichi and Lichu, is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family Sapindaceae. It is a tropical fruit tree native to southern China. It is also commonly found in India, northern Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is a medium-sized evergreen tree, reaching …

Gladiolus — Gladiolus (from Latin, the diminutive of gladius, a sword) is a genus of flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae). Sometimes called the sword lily, the most widely-used English common name for these plants is simply gladiolus (plural gladioli or gladioluses). The genus Gladiolus contains about 260 species, of which 250 are native to sub-Saharan Africa, mostly South …

Freesia — Freesia (Ecklon ex Klatt) is a genus of 14-16 species of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, native to Africa. Of the 14 species, 12 are native to Cape Province, South Africa, the remaining two to tropical Africa, one species extending north of the equator to Sudan. The genus was named in honor of Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese …

Bougainvillea — Bougainvillea is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina (Chubut Province). Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus. The name comes from Louis Antoine de Bougainville, an admiral in the French Navy who discovered the plant in Brazil in 1768. They are …

Asparagus Fern — Asparagus densiflorus (Sprenger’s Asparagus; syn. Asparagus aethiopicus L., Asparagopsis densiflora Kunth, Protasparagus aethiopicus (L.) Oberm., Protasparagus densiflorus (Kunth) Oberm.) is a weed native to South Africa, which is often used as an ornamental plant. Asparagus densiflorus is toxic to domestic housecats. Also known as ‘Sprengers Asparagus’, named after Carl Ludwig Sprenger who made it popular in Europe …

Amaryllis — Amaryllis is a monotypic (only one species) genus of plant also known as the Belladonna Lily or naked ladies. The single species, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest region near the Cape. It is often confused with the Hippeastrum, a flowering bulb commonly sold in the winter months for its propensity to …