Several field trips with Braam van Wyk (22 to 26 January 2017)

Braam and Elsa van Wyk and Marie Jordaan spent a week in the Port Edward area on the search for unusual Olea and Cussonia species and we were fortunate to be able to accompany them on several of these field trips. These included walks at Beacon Hill, Red Desert Nature Reserve and Oribi Flats. During this time we also learned a lot about the early days of botanical exploration in the area as well as the establishment and opening up of the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve. Initially the only entrance to the reserve was at the Pont. With the subsequent purchase of a farm adjacent to the reserve, there was access to the upper section where the administrative hub and the Hugh Nicholson/Tony Abbott herbarium are now located. 

Apparently, in the early days of botanical exploration, Hugh Nicholson, with a commercial timber farming background and an interest in indigenous trees, met up with Rudolf Strey, curator of the Natal Herbarium in Durban, and they used to make forays into a relatively accessible gully on private land (Beacon Hill) adjacent to the reserve. This gully led down to the Bulolo River, a tributary to the Umtamvuna River. After getting permission from the then landowner, they would climb through the fence at the side of the road to Izingloweni and then explore the often strange trees growing along the gully. This section of private land was subsequently incorporated into the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve through a purchase part funded by an environmental NGO. Today, we refer to this gully as Mr. Nic 1, with Mr Nic 2 being a short distance inland.

During the early part of Braam's visit this time we walked from the Beacon Hill offices to Maggie's Gully. On the way we stopped to look at an Alberta magna and underneath it we found Eulophia horsfalliiin flower. Draped over a nearby shrub was a fruiting Dioscorea multiloba.

Eulophia horsfallii

Dioscorea multiloba

We crossed some open grassland and dropped down to the side of Maggie's Gully. Here we were able to show Braam the damage caused by an apparently introduced pathogenic rust on Eugenia, particularly to E. verdoorniae, as whole trees appear to have died off. Seeing a shrub flowering on the opposite side of the gully, we crossed at a fordable spot only to find that the flowers were some late arrivals on a small Pseudoscolopia polyantha. However, on the way to see the Pseudoscolopia we noticed an Olea with a very lax inflorescence, very unlike the more compact inflorescence of Olea capensis subsp. enervis, the species found most commonly along the rocky outcrops in this area.

Pseudoscolopia polyantha

 

Braam and Marie examine the Olea

Olea sp.

We followed Maggie's Gully down a little further until it became too steep to walk comfortably. Graham spotted a Pavetta bowkeri flowering in the gully and managed to get photos by hanging precariously over the stream.

Pavetta bowkeri

Another interesting tree was a small Syzygium gerrardii in full flower, small enough to put the flowers at eye level. On the way back we found an Indigofera shiluwanensis with some sparse flowers.

Syzygium gerrardii

Syzygium gerrardii flowers

Indigofera shiluwanensis

The Monday outing took place at the Red Desert Nature Reserve, on one of the hottest days we have had so far this summer. Little wonder that this comprised a relatively short circuit to the cliffs above the Umtamvuna River and back - just an opportunity to see a well-out-of-reach Cussonia and little more. On Tuesday they visited a small grassland at Fairy Glen in Margate, and on Wednesday a bigger group, including Geoff Nichols and Matt Williams got together to walk along the cliffs above the Umzimkulwana River at Oribi Flats. 

The sandstone cliff edges along the Umzimkulwana are great to exlore (where they have not been infested by alien invasive plants - fortunately the section we were walking on had very few alien species). The scenery is very impressive, with sheer drops into the gorge, and there is a great selection of unusual plants to look at. The first flower I managed to find was a very out-of-season Combretum kraussii.
 

Combretum kraussii

Then Anne found the first of many Streptocarpus trabeculatus hidden under a rock overhang, often accompanied by Stenoglottis macloughlinii and Geoff found a Helixanthera woodii (the form sometimes called H. subcylindrica) in flower. Scrambling over a shrub was a Ceropegia carnosa with a few flowers and buds and among the rocks were several Pavetta gracilifolia with their clusters of white flowers.

Streptocarpus trabeculatus

Helixanthera woodii

Ceropegia carnosa

Pavetta gracilifolia

Inspecting some of the cliff-edge vegetation

 A bit further along we found some Gasteria croucheri with flower stalks hanging out over the cliff, and from some distance away we were able to see numbers of Cyrtanthus sanguineus decorating the cliff face below us.
 

Gasteria croucheri

Gasteria croucheri

Red Cyrtanthus sanguineus clinging to the cliff face

Together with the Gasteria there were some Encephalartos natalensis growing in equally inaccessible places on the cliffs. We also encountered a Dimorphic Tiger moth, whose larvae predate on Encephalartos villosus and there were several of these cycads growing under trees at the cliff edge.

Dimorphic Tiger moth

Another cliff-edge dweller was Stenosemis angustifolia and nearby in deep shade of the forest there was a colony of small Hypoxis nivea.

Stenosemis angustifolia

Hypoxis nivea

At a small farm dam, Geoff went to extremes to get photos of Potamogeton nodosus.

Wading in to get the perfect shot of Potamogeton nodosus

Potamogeton nodosus flower

There was a large Calodendrum capense with a heavy fruit load and Microglossa mespiliformis scrambled along the forest edge . Nearby we found two Syncolostemon rotundifolius shrubs, one with pink and the other with paler whitish flowers. Nestled within one of these was a Cyphia elata. 

 

Calodendrum capense

Syncolostemon rotundifolius

Cyphia elata

Microglossa mespiliformis

In this forest patch there was a Chionanthus foveolatus subsp. tomentellus in flower and in the shade of some big rocks we found a Gerbera species that has characteristics of the recently described G. silvicola, although the distribution makes it unlikely.  This needs further investigation.

Chionanthus foveolatus subsp. tomentellus

Gerbera cf silvicola

Growing in a seep over a rock sheet, we found a colony of Antherotoma debilis.

Antherotoma debilis

The Oribi group above the Umzimkulwana Gorge

On the way back to the vehicles Kate found a flowering Aloe linearifolia (Near Threatened endemic). Returning home we made several stops along the road through the gorge. Here we saw Pentarrhinum insipidum, Ruttya ovata, Heywoodia lucens in fruit, Heteromorpha arborescens var. abyssinica, Cyphostemma rubroglandulosa and Capparis brassii in fruit.

Aloe linearifolia

Pentarrhinum insipidum

Ruttya ovata

Heteromorpha arborescens var. abyssinica

Cyphostemma rubroglandulosa

Capparis brassii

On Thursday, our traditional walking day, we were back at Beacon Hill, this time to take a short walk down Mr. Nic 1. We went first to the rock outcrop where, Braam explained, a plaque had been unveiled on the occasion of the purchase of the Beacon Hill portion of the reserve. The copper plaque remains mounted on a rock, but unfortunately the copper dissolved from the plaque has killed all lichen and plant-life below it.

The commemorative plaque - note the absence of lichen adjacent to the plaque

After finding Chironia albiflora (Rare endemic) at the bottom of the steps up to the plaque, we worked our way around the outcrop and descended to the start of Mr Nic 1, finding Caesia contorta climbing through the grass on the way. Here we split into two parties to explore both sides of the gully as we moved down slope. We very soon found Cussonia pondoensis in the forest margins.

Caesia contorta

Chironia albiflora

Cussonia pondoensis

Further down there were many Struthiola pondoensis in flower alongside the stream.
 

Struthiola pondoensis

On the way back to the offices we checked out another rocky outcrop and found more of the unknown Olea species that we first saw on Sunday. Braam and Marie will be working on sorting out Olea once back in Pretoria.

And so our very informative week with Braam had come to an end.

Participants (all those who walked with the group during the week are included): Anne S, Braam v W, Dorothy M, Elsa v W, Gail B-W, Geoff N, Graham G, Kate G, Maggie A, Marie J, Matt W, Uschi T.

Watta Jule private grassland (Thursday, 19 January 2017)

We last walked in this small patch of grassland in January 2014 when the owners were thinking of allowing the establishment of macadamia trees on a portion of the land. At that stage the grassland was re-sprouting after a fire had escaped a neighbour's control and burned across the valley. 

The area adjacent to a narrow valley seemed to have the best selection of indigenous species and the owners undertook to leave this area untouched. Since then the macadamia trees have been planted but the valley and a strip of grassland at the top have been retained in their natural state.

The first plant of interest we came across was Anthospermum streyi, a rare Pondoland endemic, growing at the edge of Msikaba sandstone rock plates. While this species is common in a small area of this grassland, we seldom see it elsewhere. Here we found it associated with Delosperma lineare. Other plants growing amongst the rocks were Senecio rhyncholaenus and Oldenlandia herbacea.

Anthospermum streyi

Delosperma lineare

Senecio rhyncholaenus

Oldenlandia  herbacea

We soon came across the first of another uncommon endemic species, Aspalathus dahlgrenii (ined.). On this visit we were to see more of these shrubs than on previous occasions and many of them were flowering particularly well.

 

Aspalathus dahlgrenii

Aspalathus dahlgrenii

Another plant flowering well and conspicuously was Tephrosia grandiflora.

 

Tephrosia grandiflora

As we walked along above the tree-lined stream we found a large Harpephyllum caffrum in flower and almost hidden in the grass was another endemic, Indigofera abbottii (ined.)

Harpephyllum caffrum

Indigofera abbottii

 While we rested in the shade of a few trees eating our lunch, we noticed that the Trimeria grandifolia above us had many clusters of fruit.

Trimeria grandifolia fruit

As we walked along the lower fence line of the Wattajule property we saw two brightly coloured Erythrina humeana shrubs and in a nearby wetland was a clump of Helichrysum cymosum.

Erythrina humeana

Helichrysum cymosum

 Below the wetland was a small dam and here we found Utricularia stellaris with its circlet of bladders just below the inflorescence, as well as Nymphoides thunbergiana.

Utricularia stellaris

Nymphoides thunbergiana

 Walking back past the dam we came across an exciting sight; a Blunt Snouted Grass Snake about to consume a large Spiny Agama.

Fast food which was not fast enough - an Agama about to be eaten by a Grass Snake

Participants: Anne S, Dorothy M, Gail B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Maggie A, Uschi T.