Climbing "80 floors" in the hills around Ngwamabala (Thursday 21 June 2018)

Through a rather convoluted set of contacts we made arrangements to visit grasslands in the Ngwamabala area near Bushy Vales. Today Rachel joined us again for the first time after her first term at UCT and we met our guides for the day, Richard and Tanya Wichmann and Micha xxx near Southbroom. We set off in three vehicles on the steep and windy rural roads, eventually arriving where we were to meet the Induna and some of his councillors. We were grilled on what we wanted to achieve by visiting their area but our reception became much warmer when they learned that we were offering to help them by assessing their grasslands and forested areas, looking for special plants.

We then set out on foot accompanied by Nduna Mbita and his son Talende, heading down a steep slope past a couple of homesteads and eventually reaching the Mbizana River. On the way we encountered a Ceratotheca triloba and far below us were a few Aloe maculata flower heads poking out above the grass.   

Meeting with the Nduna and his council (Photo G B-W)

Ceratotheca triloba

Aloe maculata

Crossing the Mbizana River

In the riverbed we saw a few Dietes grandiflora. Once across the river we had the opportunity to look at trees growing along the banks. We saw Albizia adianthifolia with many seed pods and a nearby Chaetacme aristata had many small orange fruits. We also found some Strychnos spinosa with their large round fruits. There were few forbs flowering in the grasslands here - both in the burned and unburned sections.

 

Dietes grandiflora

Albizia adianthifolia

Chaetacme aristata

Strychnos spinosa

We reached a spot where the banks of the river became a little steeper and found the first of many Aloe candelabrum sporting orange inflorescence spikes. We joined the Nduna and one of his councillors in the shade on the river bank and sat on rocks in the riverbed to have our lunch. After lunch we decided to walk back on the opposite bank of the valley and headed straight up the hill behind us.

Aloe candelabrum

This turned out  to be the equivalent of climbing 80 floors, according to Tanya's phone activity meter, before we finally reached the road. Thankfully, Tanya had gone on before us and returned to collect us in her vehicle. 

On the way up the hill we had seen some Erythrina lysistemon in full flower, an imposing sight against the clear blue sky. In a cluster of granite boulders, Tracy noticed an unusual looking leafless succulent tree with terminal clusters of small fruits. When we collected a specimen for later identification, we noticed copious milky latex. Alex subsequently looked up this plant and suggested it might be Synadenium cupulare, the deadman's tree, so named for its very toxic and corrosive latex. This plant has been renamed since our reference books were published and is now Euphorbia cupularis. It came out subsequently that Alex had eaten some of his lunchtime fruit after handling the shrub and had later experienced some mild symptoms of burning on his lips - a lucky escape!

Starting the climb out of the valley

Part way up the 80 floors

Gazania krebsiana

Lasiosiphon kraussianus 

Nduna Mbita (R) and a councillor (Photo G B-W)

Collecting the specimen of Synadenium cupulare

Erythrina lysistemon

Sida dregei

Finally we reached the top, very relieved to have a vehicle waiting for us. We left the Induna with a promise to return later in the year after rain for further exploration of the area.

Participants: Alex V, Anne S, Colin T, Dorothy M, Gail B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Mark G, Michel B, Nduna Maku M, Rachel B-W, Richard W. Talende M, Tanya W, Tracy T.