Pondoland C.R.E.W. Blog: Floral wonderland at Beacon Hill (Thursday 16 August 2018)

The weather was cold and overcast and we had had good rains since our last walk so we decided to re-visit the early burns lying coastwards from Beacon Hill. In the unburned grass near the office there was little flowering apart from one Disa baurii but once we reached the burned area there was a flush of the white flowers of Gerbera ambigua accompanied by scattered Othonna natalensis. We followed the track down towards the stream - just before the stream we reached a wetland and saw signs of Merwilla plumbea bulbs awakening with many buds pushing up. Clinging near some rocks were several Drimia calcarata buds. At the streamside forest edge we saw some bright Erythrina lysistemon flowers, a tangle of Cassytha pondoensis tendrils and, at the stream edge, were a few Ledebouria cooperii buds.

An abundant display of Gerbera ambigua

Drimia calcarata

Cassytha pondoensis

Crossing the stream we headed up the opposite slope and here, on this drier slope, we started finding a better range of different flowers. The very hairy inflorescences of male Acalypha depressinerva plants were eye-catching and after a bit of a hunt we found some female flowers of this species too. Not far away was a less obvious male flower of Acalypha peduncularis. There were two species of Afroaster, A. hispida and A. serrulatus, several clusters of Eriosema kraussianum and some pink-tinged flowers of Ocimum obovatum. We also found some short-stemmed Vernonia galpinii with their bright purple flowers.

Acalypha depressinerva (male flowers)

Acalypha depressinerva (female flowers)

Acalypha peduncularis (male flowers)

Afroaster hispida

Afroaster serrulatus

Eriosema kraussianum

Ocimum obovatum

Vernonia galpinii

Once we reached the top of the hill we started seeing signs of other flowering species. The first of these was purple-flowered Senecio speciosus and nearby we noticed many yellow-flowered Senecio coronatus. Just before we crossed the stream earlier we had noticed many buds of a Watsonia species, and at the top of the hill we saw the first of these, the small endemic Watsonia mtamvunae (vulnerable) in flower.

Senecio coronatus

Senecio speciosus

Watsonia mtamvunae

We walked around a rock outcrop and suddenly saw two blue-haze patches in front of us. These were masses of Merwilla plumbea in flower, an amazing sight. In the first patch we found one group of flowers with a distinct purple tinge to them. Dotted amongst these Merwillas were a few Gladiolus longicollis. But that was just a small foretaste of what was to come. We walked further down towards the next stream where the next concentration of Merwilla plumbea flowers were. In a patch adjacent to this mass of blue flowers was a patch of yellow and white - the yellow being Senecio bupleuroides and the white being hundreds of Gladiolus longicollis.

Massed flowering of Merwilla plumbea

Merwilla plumbea

The blue haze of a mass of Merwilla plumbea

Sheltered in between the masses of blue flowers was this small cluster of unusual white-flowered Merwilla plumbea. Even the buds of these flowers were pale green rather than the typical deep royal blue.

Unusual white form of Merwilla plumbea

Enjoying the Merwilla and Gladiolus

A swathe of Gladiolus longicollis

Gladiolus longicollis

It was interesting to see how the timing of the burns had influenced the density of the Merwilla. In the firebreak along the fence line which was burned first, the Gladiolus longicollis were as numerous as elsewhere but there were very few Merwilla plumbea flowering. Just across into the later burn - an arson burn, we were advised by the Reserve Manager - the Merwilla plumbea flowers were so densely clumped that it was almost impossible to walk between them without damaging plants.

It was in this area near the second stream that we started seeing an orange flowered Watsonia. This turned out to be another vulnerable endemic - Watsonia bachmannii. We found Senecio humidanus among the sedges along the stream. Following the stream we came across Utricularia prehensilis growing at the water's edge and nearby was a small clump of Ornithogalum graminifolium. Other waterside plants were Ascolepis capensis and Osmunda regalis.

Senecio humidanus

Watsonia bachmannii

Utricularia prehensilis

Ornithogalum graminifolium

Osmunda regalis

Ascolepis capensis

We stopped for lunch in the shelter of rocks near Ingrid's Falls where we spotted a flowering Erianthemum dregei in a cliff-side tree. A small Raphionacme galpinii had produced a bud cluster at the end of a small stalk and near to this were several clusters of Helichrysum acutatum.

Erianthemum dregei

Helichrysum acutatum

Raphionacme galpinii

Getting going after lunch we found Lasiosiphon kraussianus, Indigofera rubroglandulosa and Hilliardiella oligocephala growing among the rocks in this area. After managing to catch everyone together for a group photo we spotted white flowers off in the distance and set off to investigate. These turned out to be more Gladiolus longicollis. Twining around the short grass here we found a few of the shy Caesia contorta with their downward hanging flowers, which are difficult to photograph in their natural orientation.

Lasiosiphon kraussianus

Indigofera rubroglandulosa

Hilliardiella oligocephala

Caesia contorta

Other flowers in this damp grassland were more of the Watsonia mtamvunae and a few Drimia species. We then worked our way over the brow of this hill and dropped down into another stream, finding a few Eulophia parviflora on the way. Just across the stream we saw that the small re-established population of Brunia trigyna were in full flower. On the last leg back to the office we came across the first flowering Chamaecrista comosa we have seen this season.