Beacon Hill walk to mentor the Blue Flag Beach Stewards (Thursday 27 April 2017)

We offered to provide some field botanical exposure to the Mzamba Beach Stewards and they jumped at the chance to join us on our walk at Beacon Hill. We needed to check on how the fruits of the Olea sp. nov. were developing and so headed towards the first of these trees.

A first stop to discuss some forbs

With much to show Mxolisi, Phakamani and Wendy, progress was slow. As we crested the first rise we found a scattering of Moraea spathulata flowering. Phakamani stopped to see how long one of the leaves of this Moraea can get. These leaves are used by rural Pondoland women to tie up bundles of firewood.

Moraea spathulata

Showing the long leaf of Moraea spathulata

We walked on and found some Utricularia livida in flower. These bladderworts augment their nutrients by catching small insect larvae in their underground bladders. Later we were able to show them Genlisea hispidula which uses a similar strategy for living in these nutrient-poor leached soils.

Utricularia livida

Dotted around on these grassy slopes were a few Pimpenella caffra with their delicate white flowers.

Pimpenella caffra

In one damp area of grassland we found a late Habenaria woodii, with one remaining flower, and later, on a rock outcrop, we spotted a very confused Rangaeris muscicola with buds almost ready to open - unusual in a species that normally flowers in December in this area.

Rangaeris muscicola in bud

We came across this Ficus ingens that had rooted in a crack under a rock but the tree was displayed horizontally on another rock surface.

A horizontal tree - Ficus ingens

Examining the Olea sp. nov., the fruits seemed to be bigger than they were on our last visit some weeks back - we will have to continue to monitor their progress. Anastrabe integerrima shrubs were starting to flower, as were Colpoon compressum and Robsonodendron eucleiforme.

Anastrabe integerrima

Colpoon compressum

Robsonodendron eucleiforme

We sat on some rocks to eat lunch and soaked in the fantastic views of the Bulolo River gorge below us. Where we were sitting we found a Diospyros villosa in flower, and not far away was a Phylica paniculata in fruit.

Diospyros villosa

Phylica paniculata fruits

The view in front of our lunch spot

After checking some other individual Olea sp. nov. trees to inspect their fruits, we headed back. On the way we found a small cluster of the inconspicuous grass Aloe, Aloe myriacantha.

Aloe myriacantha

Mxolisi taking a photo of Aloe myriacantha

Sadly, this was Mxolisi's last walk with us as he is leaving to take up a new job in Pretoria. We will watch his further development with interest while we continue to work with Phakamani and Wendy.

Participants: Anne S, Debbie K, Dorothy M, Gail B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Maggie A (accompanied by her sister Joan), Mxolisi N., Phakamani M, Uschi T, Wendy B.

Exploring dune plants with the Mzamba Blue Flag Beach Stewards

The Mzamba Blue Flag Beach Stewards asked the Pondoland CREW team to help them identify the plants in their working area, being the section of coast between the Umtamvuna River mouth in the north east and the Mtentwana River mouth in the south west. We were met in the grounds of the Wild Coast Sun resort by the Blue Flag Beach Stewards team, Phakamani Mfathu, Mxolisi Ngongoma and Wendy Bongwana, and together they put us in the picture of what they are trying to achieve. The Pondoland CREW team was asked to provide guidance on the plants in this area, from the perspective of protecting the existing dune forest plants in the case of any construction, as well as removal of invasive alien plants.

Phakamani Mfathu giving the Pondoland CREW background to the project

 After being given the background to the project we set off at the Mtentwana estuary and headed northwards along the interface between the dunes and the dune forest.  This section is invaded by dense stands of Lantana camara, Cestrum laevigatum and Cromolaena odorata, and we saw occasional Schinus terebinthifolius. It was also notable that the majority of the large Mimusops caffra in this section of dune forest were either dead or showing signs of severe distress.

We came across a number of dune specialists - Lablab purpureus, Carpobrotus dimidiatus, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Cynanchum natalensis and Lagenaria sphaerica  amongst others.

Lablab purpureus

Carprobotus dimidiatus

Solanum africanum

Commelina benghalensis

Ipomoea pes-caprae

Dimorphotheca fruticosa

Cynanchum natalitium

Lagenaria sphaerica

Once we passed the access from the main resort complex to the beach, the condition of the dune forest improved dramatically and there were far fewer invasive aliens present, a couple of isolated Casuarina equisetifolia being notable exceptions. For the location of any construction associated with Blue Flag Beach status, it therefore seems logical for this project to focus on the area between the hotel access point and the Mtentwana River mouth in the south, particularly as there are two existing (but apparently defunct) structures in this area. It will be an additional benefit if any reconstruction in this area is accompanied by efforts to rehabilitate the dune forest and remove the invasive alien plants.

Walking along the edge of the Umtamvuna estuary 

Textured sandstone exposed on the shore

The mouth of the Umtamvuna River

Pondoland CREW with the Mzamba Beach Steward team

Participants: Anne S, Dorothy M, Graham G, Kate G, Maggie A, Mxolisi N., Pakamani M, Uschi T, Wendy B.

A autumn visit to Jolivet (Saturday 15 April 2017)

Taking advantage of already being in the area, Kate and I visited Jolivet to see what this private conserved grassland area looked like in autumn as our previous visits had been in spring and summer. 

Our first stop was to see if we could find any of the Critically Endangered Riocreuxia flanaganii var alexandrina that grow among the tall grass near a stream. We found two plants and fortunately the second had several fruits.

Riocreuxia flanaganii var. alexandrina fruits

Near the stream we found Pavonia columella and Plectranthus laxiflorus and the lower slopes of the hillside were dotted with Phymaspermum acerosum and a few Galopina crocyllioides with their attractive fruits.

Pavonia columella

Plectranthus laxiflorus

Phymaspermum acerosum

Galopina crocyllioides 

In a small dam we found Nymphoides thunbergiana and on the banks of the dam was a Lasiosiphon macropetalus.

Nymphoides thunbergiana

Lasiosiphon macropetalus

We then drove up to the highest parts of the farm where we looked for any signs of seed capsules on the Satyrium rhodanthum we had found there in spring but could find none. In a small wooded patch nearby we found Memecylon natalense and Combretum kraussii in fruit and a Senecio helminthoides flowering in the forest margin.

Combretum kraussii fruits

Memecylon natalense fruits

 

Senecio helminthoides

On the high-lying slopes we found the impressive Gymnanthemum crataegifolium  as well as Inulanthera leucoclada.

Gymnanthemum crataegifolium

Inulanthera leucoclada

Amongst some rocks we found an unusual Plectranthus and after some reading, decided this is Plectranthus hereroensis.


 

Plectranthus hereroensis

Participants: Graham G, Kate G.

A search for Cyperaceae while walking along the cliffs to Craterostigma Point (Thursday 13 April 2017)

We received a request from Prof. Muthama Muasya at UCT to see what Cyperaceae we might find in a location along the cliffs above the Umtamvuna River where in 1971 Roddy Ward collected a Tetraria, identified as Tetraria cuspidata. Closer examination of the voucher of this specimen led to the suspicion that it might be an as-yet-undescribed species. Using the coordinates provided on the copy of the voucher we had been sent, we set off to the Western Heights to see what we could find in that area, intending to work our way along the cliffs in a coastward direction towards Vulture Nek.

Once we entered the Western Heights we saw great swathes of Watsonia densiflora. Just inside the gate we noticed a single Disa polygonoides like a small red candle in the grass.

We had a great clifftop view of the confluence of the Umtamvuna and Hlolobeni Rivers where we started our botanising.

The confluence of the Hlolobeni River (top left) with the Umtamvuna River
(hidden to the right of the green flat area just left of centre)

It was not long before we found several Cyperaceae on a fairly wet west facing grassy slope - we are hoping one of these might prove to be the new species but field identification of Cyperaceae is never easy so we will have to wait for confirmation. Also found in this wet area were Habenaria woodii, a Vulnerable endemic, and Monopsis unidentata, the latter growing amongst several Utricularia subulata.

Habenaria woodii

Monopsis unidentata

Nearby in the grass we found an Ipomoea crassipes.

Ipomoea crassipes

We worked our way along the cliffs which offered us a sheer drop of about 300m down to the Umtamvuna River and we could hear the roar as the river rushed through rapids below us. We started encountering rock plates and on many of these we found small sub-populations of Craterostigma sp. nov.

Craterostigma sp. nov.

On a rocky outcrop there were several species of Crassula, including Crassula obovata subsp. obovata and Crassula sarmentosa var. integrifolia (Rare) as well as Caputia medley-woodii. Nearby were Psoralea glabra, Lotononis eriocarpa and Aspalathus dahlgrenii. There was a wonderful weathered and gnarled trunk of a Tarchonanthus trilobus.

Anne peering over the edge into the forested gorge below

Crassula obovata subsp. obovata

Crassula sarmentosa var. integrifolia

A bud on Caputia medley-woodii

Lotononis eriocarpa

  

Kate perched on a weather-worn rock just realising she had a lizard up her trouser leg

A weathered trunk of Tarchonanthus trilobus

Just within reach over the edge of the cliff was a small Robsonodendron eucleiforme flowering profusely.

Robsonodendron eucleiforme

We walked on past several more patches of Craterostigma sp. nov until we reached the last point above Vulture Nek. With the weather starting to threaten we headed back and had a brief lunch stop on the rocks near the old vulture restaurant site before we were chased back to the vehicle by rain. We stopped on the way out to take photos of a small patch of Moraea spathulata. 

Anne and Uschi walking through a Watsonia patch

Moraea spathulata

Participants: Anne S, Dorothy M, Graham G, Kate G, Uschi T.