Emplectanthus hunting at Ngele - success at the second attempt

We have annual planning sessions with Suvarna Parbhoo and her team from the CREW Offices in Durban. Among the species for which the Pondoland CREW team have been tasked with verifying current population details is Emplectanthus gerrardii. 

Tony Abbott collected a specimen which was identified subsequently as Emplectanthus gerrardii at Ngele some years back, and at the beginning of 2015 we made an attempt to find this "population". Apparently, when the collection was made, only one plant was found. While we were equipped with GPS coordinates and photocopies of specimens we failed to find the plant in 2015. This year we decided to try again and this time arranged for Isabel Johnson - a member of the group accompanying Tony when the collection was made - to join us in the search.

Isabel recognised the area we took her to and very soon was able to confirm that the plant was no longer where they collected the specimen. However she felt that the habitat was right for the Emplectanthus so we continued scouring the area for some time (in between the many flowering Calanthe sylvatica) - but unfortunately this search was unsuccessful.

Calanthe sylvatica

We then decided to investigate another similar location and this time our luck was in. First we found a single plant in flower, and then a more thorough search in the area revealed more small plants. We found around 10 plants in total - a great success! Especially so as Robertson Madwe, our guide allocated to us for the day by the DAFF Forestry office, had noticed the shoulders beginning to droop at the thought of an unsuccessful search.

Emplectanthus gerrardii

Emplectanthus gerrardii

Buoyed by this success we could afford to enjoy the other flowers in the forest and adjacent grassland habitats. In the dense forest we found a number of Dracaena aletriformis in flower, and alongside a stream was a cluster of Begonia sutherlandii.

Dracaena aletriformis

Begonia sutherlandii

Also growing in dense shade were several large-flowered Begonia geranioides.

Begonia geranioides

We also came across some interesting looking fungi - one a perched on the bark of a live tree, and the other a puffball on the ground. 

 

Large fungus

Brain-like Puffball

On the forest margin was a Grewia lasiocarpa with a single flower posed in a patch of sunlight.

Grewia lasiocarpa

And on a steep boulder-strewn grassland we found the interesting member of the Hyacinthaceae, Boweia volubilis subsp. volubilis, a plant highly sought after by traditional healers for its medicinal properties and which therefore has a status of Vulnerable..

Bowiea volubilis

The team of successful Emplectanthus hunters

Participants: Dean P, Graham G, Isabel J, Kate G, Robertson M.