A first visit to Lower Smedmore

While we have visited the upper reaches of Smedmore Forest on several occasions in the past, it was only once we started botanising along the cliff edges at Manilkara Meander that we realised how large this forest patch was. From the vantage of this section of cliffs we could see that there was fairly easy access to the bottom part of this forest patch and we decided, after the grasslands had been burned in a management burn, to walk this route and explore the forest below.

It required a bit of a scramble from where we had parked down a boulder strewn slope to get to the next plateau which would lead back to the forest. It was gratifying to see small springs and seeps coming out over rocks, a tribute to the rains we have had in early October.
 

Working our way down to the next plateau

On the way down we saw a stunted Erythrina latissima - not a common species in the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve.

Erythrina latissima

Once we got to the flatter area, Uschi found a rock shaped like a motorbike and persuaded Maggie to join her on her new steed.

Uschi's motorbike

The view from the lower plateau is unusual, being half way down to the river, as generally we are either in the upper grasslands or in the forests at the bottom of the gorge.

Umtamvuna gorge from the plateau level

 There were a few scattered trees flowering in the grassland, Senegalia (Acacia) caffra and Apodytes abbottii being the most prominent of these. Although from the fruit capsules we could see signs of a Cyrtanthus having flowered here earlier, there were few other grassland flowers so soon after the burn, the exception being Ursinia tenuiloba.

Senegalia caffra

Apodytes abbottii

Ursinia tenuiloba

 At the edge of the forest we saw the stinging species, Ctenomeria capensis with its odd arrangement of a single female flower succeeded by several male flowers all on a single stalk. 

Ctenomeria capensis

 Not far from this was a cluster of Strophanthus speciosus with its spidery bright orange flowers.

Strophanthus speciosus

Another forest margin species was Euphorbia kraussiana. Under the forest canopy we found several Excoecaria simii in flower and with fruit and Justicia camplyostemon, also in flower. Below it was another stinging plant, Laportea grossa with its attractive white-spotted leaves.

Euphorbia kraussiana

Excoecaria simii

Justicia campylostemon

Laportea grossa 

Many of our forest flowers are cryptic so we were lucky to find Maytenus cordata flowers hidden amongst the leaves. Easier to see were the flowers on a Kiggelaria africana. We encountered three other forest species in fruit -- Bachmannia woodii, Rinorea domatiosa and Suregada africana.

Maytenus cordata

Kiggelaria africana

Rinorea domatiosa

Bachmannia woodii

Suregada africana

There were several tall trees we could see flowering but the flowers and most of the leaves were well beyond reach so we will have to return better equipped to collect specimen material from these tall trees.

On our way back we found a group of Drimia calcarata just starting to flower.

Drimia calcarata

The return trip under Manilkara Meander cliffs

The final climb looms

Once back at the vehicle we did a quick check on the status of the flowers on the big Strychnos gerrardii we had seen in bud along Manilkara Meander and were happy to see the flowers were open en masse.

Strychnos gerrardii

Participants: Anne S, Graham G, Kate G, Maggie A, Uschi T.