Up to the Beacon

We didn’t have to go far to start botanising after our morning tea. We stopped to admire the large female cone of the living fossil Encephalartos natalensis, Natal cycad, located just outside the office. They had been confiscated some years earlier from illegal poachers and plant traffickers by nature conservation officers and had found a safe sanctuary there after being stolen from the wild.

Encephalartos natalensis

Setting out

This week we saw Lobelia flaccida, Itshilizi. Although it is not always hairy, it was easy to identify thanks to the two prominent yellow-green parallel ridges at the entrance to the corolla tube. Interestingly, all Lobelias are protandrous, meaning the male pollen organs mature and drop their pollen first, completely withering away before the female stigma opens to receive pollen from other flowers. This ensures no self-fertilisation occurs.

Lobelia flaccida

Uschi having a close look at the Lobelia flaccida

The tracer lines had been cut in preparation for fire season, so we followed the main tracer line that runs adjacent to the fence up towards the beacon. Uschi and I lagged behind, exploring the rocks beside the path. We encountered Lasiosiphon triplinervis. It was significantly less hairy than last week’s Lasiosiphon anthylloides — a funny contrast, considering the genus name stems from the Greek for ‘woolly tube.’ Coleus calycinus, Upland fly-bush, an erect perennial herb with leathery leaves and upright terminal flower spikes bearing tiny velvety creamy-white to pale mauve flowers, grew among the rocks.

Lasiosiphon triplinervis

Coleus calycinus

Alf, Anne and Hilary had stopped a way ahead. Not wanting to miss anything, Uschi and I hurried to join them. They were admiring Syncolostemon ramulosus, a highly localised, rare member of the Lamiaceae (mint and sage) family restricted to the Pondoland Coastal Grasslands. Hiding barely visible in the long grass was the dedicated winter-flowering Dicliptera cernua, with its eye-catching, vibrant magenta, two-lipped (bilabiate) tubular flowers. Had we not literally stumbled upon them, we would have missed them completely. At the base of each flower sat those fascinating greenish-maroon sepal-like bracts.

Syncolostemon ramulosus

Dicliptera cernua

The incredibly charming Hibiscus trionum, commonly known as Flower-of-an-hour, was also present. Individual blossoms only open for a few hours on warm, sunny days before wilting. If no insect cross-pollination occurs during this tight window, the style actively bends downward to touch its own anthers, successfully self-pollinating to ensure reproduction.

Hibiscus trionum

Senecio polyanthemoides may be weedy, but its small, bright sulphur-yellow daisy flower heads stood tall in the grassland. Its lanceolate leaves are deeply divided or toothed along the edges and feature a compelling textural contrast: the upper surface is smooth and bright green, while the underside is coated in a thin layer of white, felt-like hairs. Still in flower were Moraea spathulata and Indigofera herrstreyi.

Senecio polyanthemoides

Moraea spathulata

Indigofera herrstreyi

On the exposed sandstone Bulbine latifolia caught the eye — its fleshy, wide, flattened, yellowish-green leaves and single unbranched flower spike with fluffy yellow bearded stamens provided a stark contrast against the cold stone. The soothing, jelly-like sap from the leaves can be applied topically to treat skin conditions, burns, and wounds. Traditional healers also utilize the roots to treat various internal ailments. Right alongside grew Cineraria albicans, revealed by its whitish silver sheen and sharply toothed, oak-like leaf shapes. On the very same rocks sprawled Diospyros villosa, Hairy Star-apple, its small creamy-yellow blossoms dangling elegantly beneath branches blanketed in dense, velvety copper-coloured hairs. Tucked into the crevices was the nostalgic Helichrysum lepidissimum, a compact shrublet whose golden paper-bracted flower heads and small rippled leaves released a rich herbal scent when touched. At our feet, the rare Pondoland endemic Delosperma subpetiolatum formed prostrate mats, its fleshy leaves stressed into striking plum-maroon by the elements.

Bulbine latifolia

Cineraria albicans

Diospyros villosa

Helichrysum lepidissimum

Delosperma subpetiolatum

We moved through the grass back towards the fire break and spotted Wahlenbergia huttonii’s distinctive blue-purple star-shaped flowers. Next came the ever-sticky Laggera crispata with its nodding thistle-like pink blooms, covered in short yellow glandular hairs that release a strong herbal aroma when brushed. Rich in essential oils, flavonoids, and terpenes, various cultures utilize the leaves, roots, and aerial parts to treat a wide array of internal and external ailments. Another sticky plant, Senecio erubescens var. incicus, displayed delicate deep purple composite flower heads made of many tiny disc florets. Patches of deep wine-red Stiburus alopecuroides washed across the grass, its cylindrical, tightly packed spikelets resembling miniature roof tiles. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Wahlenbergia huttonii

Laggera crispata

Senecio erubescens var. incicus

Leaf of Senecio erubescens var. incicus

Stiburus alopecuroides

Ornithogalum juncifolium, Grass-leaved Chincherinchee, thrived in the thin soil pockets on the sandstone, showing tiny grass-like leaves and white star-like flowers. Nearby, a Burchellia bubalina, Wild Pomegranate, grew beside a rock, its clusters of deep orange tubular flowers swarming with ants and glossy green leaves displaying prominent yellow veins. Dorothy and Maggie decided this was far enough for them, so we left them sitting on the rocks and continued towards the Beacon.

Ornithogalum juncifolium

Burchellia bubalina

Apodytes abbottii, Pondo White Pear, is easy to identify by the characteristic click when a leaf is broken. It was named in honour of the prominent Pondoland conservationist and botanist Tony Abbott. Selaginella dregei created lush carpets across the rocks — a fascinating ancient pteridophyte in the spikemoss family (Selaginellaceae) that can lose nearly all its water, shrivel up, and appear dead, only to rehydrate and turn vibrant green within hours after rain.

Apodytes abbottii

Selaginella dregei 

Sunbirds darted in and out of Leonotis leonurus, an important food source at this time of year, while Erica cubica had mostly faded, leaving just a few pink flowers. Closer to the Beacon, Brachylaena glabra, Malabar Silver-oak, was in full bloom. This is easily the best-looking Brachylaena — endemic to the coastal forest and forest margin biomes of South Africa’s Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and dioecious, with individual trees being strictly male or female.

Leonotis leonurus

Erica cubica

Brachylaena glabra

Climbing the steps, we were greeted by vibrant orange Watsonia pillansii and more Brachylaena glabra. Once gathered, we sat for lunch, looking out across the gorge to the Western Heights. Among the rocks Crassula obovata var. obovata put on its usual show with fleshy green leaves topped by dense clusters of tiny star-shaped white flowers. Occasional Gazania krebsiana added splashes of sunshine yellow. Between two rocks grew Senecio oxyodontus with shiny, fleshy, coarsely toothed leaves and bright canary-yellow flowers. Roella glomerata, Amazombe, refers to its habit of bending, branching, and snaking in irregular zigzag patterns. Remedies  derived from this plant are used specifically to treat lower back pain. It is the only member of this genus found outside the Cape.

Watsonia pillansii

Crassula obovata var. obovata

Gazania krebsiana

Senecio oxyodontus

Roella glomerata

On the side of a rocky outcrop, Cassine peragua, Cape Saffron — a tough evergreen tree native to South Africa — carried dense clusters of tiny greenish-white flowers with a sweet honey-like scent. Its thick leathery leaves grow in neat opposite pairs. Halleria lucida, Tree Fuchsia, displayed vibrant orange and crimson trumpet-shaped blooms bursting straight from the weathered trunk — irresistible to sunbirds.

Cassine peragua

Halleria lucida

Winding between rocks and crevices, Anne found a thread-like plant with tiny greenish flowers and cordate fruit — a Centella species. This slender perennial herb blends in with grass blades until it flowers and is easily overlooked. Across the landscape, blazing orange-red spikes of Aloe arborescens, Krantz aloe, stood out like beacons. Kalanchoe rotundifolia, Nentabos, added coral-red tubular flowers and rounded greyish-green leaves to the scene. Crassula alba, finished flowering, showed a dramatic colour gradient from muted earth tones at the base to vibrant intensity at the apex.

Centella species

Aloe arborescens

Kalanchoe rotundifolia

Crassula alba

Following another fire break we discovered the delicate Exochaenium natalensis and Moraea elliotii, a slender geophyte with stunning pale violet flowers and a contrasting yellow-to-orange nectar guide. We paused to admire the sandstone shapes sculpted by centuries of weathering. A spiky Berkheya rapontica warned “don’t touch,” while Helichrysum adenocarpum painted the grass in deep red and creamy white, its stiff everlasting petals rustling softly. Spotting a weathered tree with small creamy-yellow fruits sparked an excited discussion about its identity. A leaf broken gently in half revealed fine elastic silk-like threads — confirming it as Robsonodendron eucleiforme, False Silkybark, in the Celastraceae family.

Exochaenium natalensis

Moraea elliotii

Centuries of weathering create unique shapes

Berkheya rapontica

Helichrysum adenocarpum

Robsonodendron eucleiforme

Exploring the rocky outcrops

We had passed many Tricalysia capensis var. capensis, Forest Jackal-coffee, in bud, but finally found one in flower. Its stalkless axillary clusters of small creamy-white star-shaped blooms released an intensely sweet jasmine-like scent. The evergreen Anastrabe integerrima, Pambati tree still had some custard-yellow flowers and a Large-leaved onionwood, Cassipourea gummiflua var. verticillata was bursting with fruit. The day was drawing to an end and, as we walked back, we joyfully chatted away.

Tricalysia capensis var. capensis

Anastrabe integerrima

Cassipourea gummiflua var. verticillata

A Lady bird or man

The way home