A plethora of Senecios

Marinda Koekemoer, the Asteraceae specialist from SANBI in Pretoria, visited our area on Spring Day to help us to get to grips with all those confusingly similar yellow and purple daisy-like plants.

Marinda amongst numbers of Senecio speciosus

We first visited Banner's Triangle where several Berkheya species were still flowering in shades of yellow and orange, and the Senecio speciosus were particularly spendid.

Senecio speciosus

We then headed off to the Red Desert Nature Reserve (RDNR) where we had earlier seen a few remnant flowering specimens of one of the wetland Senecio species and fortunately still found one in flower. After a brief detour for Marinda to see the fossilised dunes and yardangs from which the RDNR get its name, we then travelled up to Beacon Hill and walked down to see the re-established Brunia (Raspalia) trigyna (Pondo Ghostbush) plants - fortunately there were still a few in flower.

Brunia (Raspalia) trigyna

We then returned via some wetland areas close to the the Raspalia stream and found three more yellow Senecio species for Marinda to puzzle over. 

Hopefully, once Marinda has had time to ponder over all the daisies she will be able to give us more clarity on some of the species we have in Pondoland. Marinda subsequently confirmed having seen 11 different Senecio species and 3 Berkheya species - so now you know how many are required to make up a "plethora".

Participants: Graham G, Kate G, Marinda K.