Kate and I were asked to provide some local plant knowledge for the benefit of a tour group freshly arrived from Europe. Once they had had the opportunity to settle in at their accommodation, we set off in the late afternoon to explore the Rennie's grasslands. It soon turned out that the two lady members of the group were botanists and interested in all plants, so progress across the grassland was slow. We stopped to look at Thunbergia atriplicifolia and Schizocarpus nervosus but it was not long before we reached a rock outcrop where we could show them Euphorbia flanaganii and Ceropegia carnosa. A single Pachycarpus asperifolius was the next thing to catch our attention and nearby we found an Erythrina humeana flowering well.
 |
| Euphorbia flanaganii |
 |
| Ceropegia carnosa |
 |
| Pachycarpus asperifolius |
 |
| Enjoying the plants at Rennies' |
Crossing a drainage line we walked over a rise seeing several Indigofera dregeana before we reached the plants of the day, a small group of Disa polygonoides, where some time was spent taking photographs. On the way back to the vehicles we found one or two Sopubia simplex.
 |
| Indigofera dregeana |
 |
| Disa polygonoides |
 |
| Sopubia simplex |
Early the next morning we set off for the Red Desert Nature Reserve and spent much of the morning exploring the grasslands there. Walking along the path, tour-guide Paul found a Exochaenium sp. nov. - a first record of this species in this reserve. Walking past the Rafnia elliptica, we headed down to the cliffs above the Umtamvuna River where we found an Ipomoea mauritiana in flower. Nearby there were several Cryptocarya wyliei in fruit and a few inflorescenses of Brachystelma rubellum protruded above the grass.
 |
| Ipomoea mauritiana |
 |
| Cryptocarya wyliei |
 |
| Brachystelma rubellum |
Crossing the hill we found Crotalaria globifera, Eriosemopsis subanisophila and Relhania pungens. After seeing a single Habenaria clavata, we decided we had had enough battering from the strong wind and headed back to the vehicles and up to the Beacon Hill entrance to the Umtamvuna Nature reserve.
 |
| Crotalaria globifera |
 |
| Eriosemopsis subanisophila |
 |
| Relhania pungens |
 |
| Habenaria clavata |
After we had lunch in the shade of one of the shelters where we saw Polygala virgata, we set off towards the beacon finding Eucomis autumnalis and Habenaria dives as we moved up the slope.
 |
| Polygala virgata |
After pointing out the Chironia albiflora at the beacon we turned and moved back towards another rocky slope, passing some Moraea elliottii. On the rock outcrop we found Brachystelma australe in flower. We then headed down into Mr. Nic's Gully where we managed to find a few Streptocarpus porphyrostachys growing on the rocks. Also growing in the shade of the forested stream were a flowering Pavetta bowkeri, Putterlickia retrospinosa and a few hanging branches of Plectranthus saccatus subsp. pondoensis. By this stage the tour group was pretty exhausted after a full day in the sun and strong wind, so we called it a day with the hope that the rest of their trip would be successful.
 |
| Photo time - each with a Moraea elliottii |
 |
| Kate and I with the tour group |
 |
| Brachystelma australe |
 |
| Streptocarpus porphyrostachys |
Participants: Adrian A, Frieda B, Graham G, Kate G, Paul C and Sandrine G.
No comments:
Post a Comment