Waiting for Rain – Winter Botanising at Umtamvuna Nature Reserve
There was much laughter and many stories to share as the Umtamvuna C.R.E.W. (Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers) group reunited after several weeks apart. Both Maggie and Gail had been travelling, and it was wonderful to have everyone back together again.
For Gail, the return to Umtamvuna Nature Reserve was quite an adjustment. She had just returned from the Western Cape, where she had spent time botanising with fellow botanist Jean amongst the extraordinary winter flora that makes the Cape Floral Kingdom world-famous. There, winter is a season of abundance. Here on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, winter tells a very different story.
The grasslands lay dry beneath a pale blue sky, the earth scorched from winter fires, and many of the bulbs and tubers slept safely beneath the soil. They patiently awaited the life-giving rains that would awaken them. It is one of nature's remarkable strategies—many geophytes survive months of drought and fire by storing energy underground in bulbs, corms or tubers, emerging only when conditions are right. When those first summer rains finally arrive, these seemingly lifeless grasslands will transform into one of South Africa's most spectacular floral displays, with thousands of flowers painting the landscape in every imaginable colour.
Yet even amongst the blackened earth, life refused to surrender.
Emerging defiantly through the crisp, fire-blackened grass were the silvery, star-like flowers of Hypoxis argentea, the slender strawberry-pink flower spikes of Acalypha peduncularis, the cheerful golden daisies of Ursinia tenuiloba, and the delicate flowers of the Pondoland endemic Indigofera rubroglandulosa.
Growing from rocky crevices where little soil exists, Polystachya pubescens displayed its elegant orchid flowers while Merwilla plumbea stood proudly amongst the rocks. Merwilla plumbea, commonly known as the Blue Squill, survives fire remarkably well thanks to its large underground bulb, which stores both nutrients and water. It has also been used in traditional medicine for generations, although unsustainable harvesting threatens wild populations in some areas.
These plants deserve admiration. They endure prolonged drought, survive intense fires and flourish where many other species could never persist. Fire, often perceived only as destructive, is in fact an essential ecological process within these grasslands. Many indigenous plants have evolved alongside regular fires, which remove old vegetation, recycle nutrients and create the open, sunny conditions that allow countless wildflowers to thrive.
Along the forest margin, the first flower buds of Erythrina were beginning to open. Within days the bare branches would erupt into brilliant scarlet flowers, providing an important nectar source for sunbirds, bees and other pollinators at a time when few other trees are flowering. Nearby, Brachylaena glabra was producing masses of flowers and beginning to set seed, ensuring the next generation of this handsome indigenous tree.
While the rest of the C.R.E.W. members botanised across the grasslands, Gail and Tracy decided to venture into a section of forest neither had previously explored.
The contrast was extraordinary.
Above them, cattle grazed on the emerging leaves of Hypoxis while smoke drifted across the hills after sections of grassland had been intentionally burnt to encourage fresh grazing. Below, the forest was cool, sheltered and filled with towering trees. Every step revealed another surprise.
The terrain was steep and rugged. Gail rested her hand against what appeared to be a sturdy tree trunk, only for the dead tree to suddenly collapse with an almighty crash. Fortunately Tracy was already further down the slope. Gail immediately recalled her dear friend Jean's often-repeated warning, "Trees kill people." On this occasion those words came frighteningly close to becoming reality.
Following the dry, rocky stream course, they noticed where the fire had crept right to the forest's edge. Here they found Carissa bispinosa in flower. Its gleaming white, star-shaped blossoms released an exquisite perfume that filled the still forest air. This attractive shrub produces edible red fruits enjoyed by birds, which in turn disperse its seeds throughout the forest.
Nearby, the tiny ruby-red flowers of Gymnosporia rubra glowed amongst the foliage. Although easily overlooked because of their size, these delicate flowers are remarkably beautiful when viewed closely.
Adding a touch of wildlife excitement were several Ityraea nigrocincta, commonly known as jumping flowers. Despite their name, these fascinating insects are not flowers at all but colourful planthoppers. Their remarkable camouflage allows them to resemble flower buds or seed capsules, helping them avoid predators. Tracy explained that if startled they can even shed part of their tails to escape danger, although fortunately these individuals seemed perfectly content to remain where they were.
Further into the forest Tracy spotted a thriving colony of the terrestrial orchid Corymborkis corymbis. Unlike many orchids that cling to tree branches, this species grows on the forest floor in deep shade, producing tall leafy stems that later bear elegant sprays of creamy flowers. A mental note was immediately made to return towards the end of the year to witness them in flower.
As the afternoon wore on they realised Anne would soon begin wondering where they had disappeared to, so reluctantly they turned back.
Baboons barked from somewhere amongst the cliffs above. Towering vertical rock faces blocked any easy route home, forcing them to search for another way out. Emerging from the forest, they found themselves beside smouldering ash where grey plumes of smoke drifted into the winter sky. The dense bracken, normally impossible to penetrate, had been burnt away, revealing scorched leaves of Anemone that had previously been hidden beneath the vegetation.
Looking upwards, our eyes fell upon a magnificent Cussonia sphaerocephala and a Ficus glumosa clung impossibly to the cliff faces.
At our feet stood a solitary Euphorbia bupleurifolia, a remarkable succulent with a stout, sculptural stem and a crown of narrow leaves gathered at the top like a living rosette. Often called the pine cone euphorbia because of its textured, overlapping leaf bases, this species is beautifully adapted to life on hot, dry, rocky slopes where water is scarce and survival depends on clever storage. Like all euphorbias, it contains a milky latex that is toxic and can irritate the skin, a useful defence against grazing animals. Its flowers are tiny and inconspicuous, hidden within the specialised structures known as cyathia, but the plant’s true beauty lies in its extraordinary form and resilience. One plant was enough to stop us in our tracks.
Nearby grew a single Boophone disticha, one of South Africa's most iconic bulbous plants. Its enormous fan-shaped leaves emerge from a bulb that sits proudly above the soil surface, and although famous for its striking flowers, Boophone is equally renowned for its powerful medicinal compounds. Traditionally used with great caution, it reminds us that many of our indigenous plants possess remarkable chemistry developed through millions of years of evolution.
Scrambling back up the steep slope "black-footed like baboons", Gail and Tracy finally emerged onto the grassland where the rest of the C.R.E.W. team could be seen in the distance. Excitable waves were exchanged across the hillside as stories from two very different botanising adventures merged into one. Anne had spent part of the afternoon herding wandering cattle away from sensitive botanical areas, adding yet another chapter to the day's events.
Soon the convoy of Jimnys headed home, disappearing in clouds of red dust that billowed behind them like charging bulls across the winter landscape.
Winter at Umtamvuna may appear harsh and lifeless to the casual observer, but to those willing to look closely it is a season rich with resilience, quiet beauty and promise. Every dormant bulb, every fire-adapted wildflower and every hidden forest orchid is waiting patiently for the rains that will once again transform these grasslands into one of South Africa's greatest botanical treasures.
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Euphorbia bupleurifolia EUPHORBIACEAE Cycad Spurge South African endemic Critically Endangered A2acd+4acd |
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| Indigofera rubroglandulosa FABACEAE South African endemic |
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| Brachylaena glabra ASTERACEAE South African endemic |
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| Hypoxis argentea HYPOXIDACEAE |
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| Acalypha peduncularis EUPHORBIACEAE |
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| Merwilla plumbea HYACINTHACEAE Near Threatened A2bd |
 Ursinia tenuiloba ASTERACEAE South African endemic  | |
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| Gymnosporia rubra CELASTRACEAE |
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| Ityraea nigrocincta Jumping flowers |
GO! Lovely but NO. |
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| Pondoland C.R.E.W. Anne Skelton, Uschi Teacher, Tracy Taylor, Maggie Abbott, Dorothy McIntyre, Alf Hatter and Gail Bowers-Winters |
