Vernon Crookes and Umdoni Park with UKZN students

We met Prof. Benny Bytebier and his two honours students Thando and Sashin at the offices at Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve on a cold and windy Tuesday morning and, under close scrutiny by the local fauna, set off to see what was flowering in the grasslands. Thando was working on a project report on the genera Senecio and Helichrysum in the family Asteraceae, while Sashin was looking for members of the family Rubiaceae. Fortunately there was no shortage of either of these families, so the progress over the veld was rather slow.

Being watched by zebra, wildebeest and blesbok

The group in front of Ochna arborea. Anne, Dorothy and Uschi had
left by the time I thought of taking a group photo.

One of the species which was particularly abundant at VCNR was Thunbergia natalensis, but Grewia hispida shrubs were putting up some stiff competetion. The very localised endangered endemic Searsia rudatisii was also flowering well in the grasslands - VCNR is one of very few places where this species can be found.

Grewia hispida

Searsia rudatisii

Thunbergia natalensis

We had lunch at the picnic spot and then walked down the slopes below the picnic spot for some further botanising. Amongst other things we found a particularly robust form of Senecio oxyriifolius.

Senecio oxyriifolius

We entered a treed gulley at the edge of which we found Mimusops obovata in flower and in the denser part of the forest was a flowering Vitellariopsis marginata, while up the slope, a Clivia mineata (vulnerable) had a bright head of orange flowers.

Clivia miniata

After we ended our exploration of Vernon Crookes NR, Kate and I followed Benny and his students to Umdoni Park where I was to run a bird-ringing training session while Kate accompanied the University team on their field trip in the forests and grasslands of Umdoni Park.

They came across several interesting species, some of which were flowering. 

Cynanchum ellipticum

Drypetes arguta

Salacia kraussii

Participants: Anne S, Benny B, Dorothy M, Graham G, Kate G, Sashin, Thando, Uschi T

A special find

Thanks to the sharp eyes of Mervyn T, we were alerted to the presence of an unusual plant growing near Port Edward. On visiting the site, we determined that this was likely to be the parasitic plant Hyobanche fulleri, Red Listed as critically endangered. To date, the plant was known from only three populations with a distribution along the coast from Durban southwards to Port Shepstone.

Our CREW group have previously made a number of attempts to find this plant in our area, but all have been unsuccessful.

However, this time, success! There were two groups of plants, possibly parasitising the same host plant (Osteospermum moniliferum - previously known as Chrysanthemoides  monilifera), with a total of nearly 40 individual inflorescenses at various stages of development.

This find represents a range extension of about 45 km, and adds another population to the SANBI Red List database. 

Beacon Hill revisited

As the weather was cold and miserable we deferred our planned trip to Oribi Flats and decided instead to walk closer to home. We chose Beacon Hill as we also had some herbarium work to do and could therefore kill two birds with one stone.

We set off into a strong wind and soon saw that the Helichrysum ecklonis had had a new lease on life, probably stimulated by a little rain, as a new set of buds were starting to open.

Helichrysum ecklonis

Nearby there was a small Apodytes abbottii growing on the rocks and was full of flowers.

Apodytes abbottii 

On the slopes heading down to the Raspalia stream, we found the first of the delicate pink Disa stachyoides of this season, while closer to the stream were many Disa similis, a few Disa tripetaloides, unusually growing away from the stream bank, and some early Satyrium longicauda. Also growing in this wet area near the stream were many Eriocaulon dregei and the Merwilla plumbea (Scilla natalensis) made a haze of blue close to the ground. Providing the yellow shades in the area were many Senecio natalicola flowers. On the opposite bank of the stream a number of the somewhat weedy Helichrysum ruderale were starting to flower.

Eriocaulon dregei

We started heading back to our starting point and came across a Boophone disticha bud emerging from its large semi-exposed bulb.

Boophone disticha

By this stage the rain that had been threatening, started coming down so we made haste back to the herbarium. After doing some sorting and cleaning we returned home where the team finished the day by mounting some specimens for the herbariium. 

Participants: Anne S, Dorothy M, Graham G, Kate G, Ushi Teicher

A quick visit to Rennie's

As the conditions were conducive after the sprinkling of rain we had in the morning, Kate and I donned gumboots and set off for a walk at the section of the Red Desert Nature Reserve which lies on the coast side of the R61 highway which is locally known as Rennie's Beach. 

While we have been aware of the presence of the short spur form of Eulophia parviflora in these grasslands this was the first occasion we saw one there. Nearby we found some Bonatea boltonii in flower. 

Bonatea boltonii

The surprise of the afternoon was the great show of Watsonia pilansii growing in a wetland. Also in the same wetland were several Disa similis.

A wetland full of Watsonia pilansii

The Eriosema dregei were also putting on a good display and we also found several plants of the species we believe is to be described as Eriosema stylesii. Another of the legumes, Argyrolobium amplexicaule, is starting to produce its showy yellow clusters of flowers.

Argyrolobium amplexicaule

Participants: Graham G, Kate G.

Outing to Beacon Hill

A rather depleted group made the trip up to Beacon Hill to walk up from the Offices to the outcrop with the commemorative plaque. With a cold front bearing down on us the wind was brisk, sometimes almost too strong to allow us to take photos. Nevertheless, the flowers were out in strength, particularly those having the advantage of being in the areas which were burned first in the program of management burns, i.e. the firebreaks.

The depleted team with a host of golden Berkheya setifera

 It was not long before we started finding some interesting flowers. There were many new shoots on the endemic Brachystelma australe, although these have yet to produce any buds. Not far away nestled in horizontal cracks in the sandstone rocks were young plants of what some insist is Stenoglottis macloughlinii although it seems the jury is still out so we will leave this to the taxonomists to fight out: these plants have buds and so should produce flowers within a fortnight or so.

Another plant we encountered with question marks against it is what we continue to call Scilla kraussii despite this species having been sunk into Merwilla plumbea; this "form" is, to our view, too different from the common Scilla natalensis (now also Merwilla plumbea), grows in a different habitat, and retains these characteristics even when in cultivation.

Scilla kraussii

We then found a real special; the endangered endemic Eugenia umtamvunensis with clusters of typical Eugenia flowers along the stalks. One of the two shrubs was flowering well as can be seen below.

Eugenia umtamvunensis

Eugenia umtamvunensis flowers

After sheltering in the lee of some rocks to have our lunch, we headed back to the office, coming across the purple Senecio speciosa in a surprisingly dry area, and then, a little further on, several bushes of Lotononis bachmanniana, interspersed with some tall stalks of Triglochin milnei.

Back at the office we found several shrubs of the endangered endemic Eriosema umtamvunense in flower - a good way to end the walk!

Eriosema umtamvunense

Participants: Anne S, Dorothy M, Graham G, Uschi T.

Outing to the Gogosa outpost area

With the traditional early September cold front whistling around our ears we set off for Gogosa outpost - at the northernmost part of the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve and started walking along the boundary firebreak. Before long we found ourselves at the edge of a small forested gully where we encountered a number of the unmistakable but vulnerable Aspalathus gerrardii - unfortunately not yet in flower.

Aspalathus gerrardii

We then worked our way along the forest fringe where we found both Rothmannia capensis and R. globosa but their flowers were mostly past their best. We came across what looked like the endangered Maytenus abbottii but, without flowers it is difficult to be sure. We also found Cassinopsis tilifolia in flower and the declining species Cassipourea malosana with newly forming fruits.

Cassinopsis tinifolia

Young fruit of Cassipourea malosana 

At the bottom of the gully we found a male Stangeria eriopus (Vulnerable) with a cone and close by there was a Clivia robusta (Vulnerable) with its striking red fruits.

Stangeria eriopus

Clivia robusta

We returned via some unburned grassland where we found abundant Agathosma ovata, and scattered Dierama igneum flowers and then found some Eulophia hians var. hians where we spent some time investigating whether these early flowers had pollinia or not.

Dorothy and Uschi searching for Eulophia hians pollinia

Participants: Anne S, Dorothy M, Graham G, Kate G, Uschi T.

Flowering now (September 2015)

Although it is now officially spring, we have been experiencing our normal spring flowers for a good month or so already. Many of the species reported as flowering in the last month's "Flowering now (August 2015)" persist into September, but we are only showing those starting to flower in September.

On Spring Day we came across two interesting, but unobtrusive small flowers, namely Aspidoglossum carinatum and Thesium angulosum. The flowers may be small and unobtrusive, but are very attractive when viewed close-up.

Ajuga ophridis

The near threatened endemic Apodytes abbottii

Argyrolobium amplexicaule

Argyrolobium harveyanum

Aristea gerrardii

Asparagus africanus

The grasslike Aspidoglossum carinatum

Aster (Afroaster) harveyanus 

Bonatea boltonii

Boophone disticha

Brachylaena glabra

Bridelia micrantha

The Bridelia micrantha really put on a show at this time of the year with their new leaves in shades of bronze and gold.

Canthium suberosum

The near threatened endemic Canthium vanwykii

Chamaecrista comosa

Combretum kraussii

Crassula vaginata

Crotalaria natalitia

Cyanotis speciosa

Cytorchis arcuata

Dalbergia multijuga

Dierama igneum

Dipcadi viride

Disa stachyoides

Disa woodii

Drimia elata

Endostemon obtusifolius

Eriocaulon dregei

Eriosema squarrosum

What we understand is to be published as Eriosema stylesii

The endangered endemic Eriosema umtamvunense

The vulnerable endemic Eriosemopsis subanisophylla

The endangered endemic Eugenia umtamvunensis

Freesia laxa  subsp. laxa 

Geranium flanaganii

Gomphocarpus physocarpus

Grewia hispida

Halleria lucida fruits and flowers

Helichrysum appendiculatum

Helichrysum nudifolium subsp. oxyphyllum

Helichrysum ruderale

Hilliardiella hirsuta

The critically endangered Hyobanche fulleri

Hypoxis colchicifolia

Indigofera longipes ined.

Ipomoea crassipes

Jasminum multipartitum

Keetia gueinzii

Kniphofia baurii

Launea sarmentosa

Lauridia tetragona

Ledebouria floribunda

Leobordea corymbosa

Leonotis leonurus

Leucadendron spissifolium subsp. oribinum (male)

Leucadendron spissifolium subsp. oribinum (female)

Maerua caffra

Melinis nerviglumis

Microglossa mespiliformis

Mimusops obovata

Ochna arborea

Pelargonium luridum

Pelargonium schlecterii - for some strange reason, currently regarded as
a synonym of Pelargonium luridum (above)

Pittosporum viridiflorum

Podalyria burchellii

Polygala myrtifolia

Polygala rehmannii

Polygala virgata

Polystachya pubescens

Psoralea glabra

Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus

Senecio natalicola

Senecio oxyriifolius

Sisyranthus imberbis

Tephrosia pondoensis

Thesium angulosum

Thunbergia atriplicifolia