Pondoland C.R.E.W. Blog: Success with Leucospermum innovans at Sigidi

About two years ago we paid a visit to the Sigidi community grasslands in Pondoland to see where Mzamo Dhlamini, one of the Groen Sebenza interns, had been collecting his material. During that trip we came across a population of the Endangered species Leucospermum innovans. Unfortunately at that time the plants were past flowering so we planned a trip a little earlier than our previous visit in the hope of seeing these plants in flower. We were joined on this trip by Dineo Dibakwane from the Millenium Seed Bank and her colleague, Khaya Radebe.

At 04h30 we were considering having to call the trip off as a violent thunderstorm crashed above us but we woke to a clear morning with all indications that there would be no rain. We picked up our guide, Nonhle Matuma, and set off to drive to her mother's house in Sigidi. While the straight line distance from our house to Sigidi is a little over 15 kilometres, it is necessary to drive quite far inland to avoid several river gorges before turning towards the coast. The trip normally takes about and hour and a half, but roadworks delayed us on this occasion. Fortunately the condition of the gravel road was good until the last few kilometres. The crossing of the Mzamba River is an interesting feature of the route and there are great views into the Mzamba River gorge later on.

Arriving at Nonhle's mothers' homestead, we paused to watch two young boys at play with clay oxen they had made themselves.

Pondo boys playing with self-made toy

Clay oxen and kraal

We walked from there through old cultivated fields and down to one of the tributaries of the Mpahlana River where we saw crystal clear water flowing into a very tempting pool.There were several beds of Prionum serratum making a very effective filter through which the stream flowed and amongst these plants we saw Utricularia prehensilis with its bright yellow flowers.

Bed of Prionum serratum

Tributary to the Mpahlana River

The tempting pool

We walked back across the stream towards the coast and through the fence erected by the community to keep their cattle off the dunes.

The views here are breathtaking.

View down the Mpahlana estuary

Rural Pondoland

Once through the fence we started seeing what we came for, Leucospermum innovans, and we were in luck as there were many plants with flowers.

Leucospermum innovans shrub

Leucospermum innovans flower

There must have been between 100 and 200 individual plants in an area of about 100 by 100 metres (1 hectare), although it almost seems that the plants might be growing as a suffrutex as there were some small, single stalked plants which were flowering.

The area from the Mzamba river in the north to the Mtentu River in the south is the subject of a mining application: the intent is to mine the sands for heavy minerals. The local community members are resolutely opposed to the granting of a mining license by the government and have chalked up several successes in court. Currently there is a moratorium on any license application but the community continues its battle in the courts.

Leucospermum innovans is an Endangered Pondoland endemic; the majority of the populations of this plant lie under the footprint of the mining application.

On the way back we came across another endemic plant, the Near Threatened Grewia pondoensis

Grewia pondoensis

As we approached the cottages we saw a raptor being mobbed by a flock of Black-winged Lapwings and just then a stately pair of Grey Crowned Cranes came in to land nearby.