Walking with UKZN students at Vernon Crookes

In mid September we have our annual opportunity to spend a day at Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve with post-grad Botany students from UKZN as part of their 3-day field excursion. We met up at the Vernon Crookes offices and drove a short distance to the picnic spot. This year the grassland above the road had been burned and we set off on foot to see what had sprouted since the fire.

A small white-flowered creeper was the first to be encountered -- a member of the Cucurbitaceae, Pilogyne scabra. We were to see several of these during this part of the walk. There were a few of the yellow-flowered Commelina africana dotted about, as were several Hypericum aethiopicum, also bearing yellow flowers. The many large casts made by the giant earthworm Microchaetus vernoni made walking difficult but we staggered on, finding an Osteospermum grandidentatum, another yellow flower.

Pilogyne scabra

Commelina africana

Osteospermum grandidentatum

Nestled in a crack in an exposed granite outcrop were several Haemanthus humilis already in fruit, these being supported on a robust hairy stalk. A widespread and common plant in this part of the grassland was the narrow endemic species Searsia rudatisii, a geoxylic suffrutex. Many of these were flowering. This was a useful find as one of the families the students were focusing on was Anacardiaceae.

A much more obvious flower was that on a Hilliardiella hirsuta. We were pleased to find several striking Pelargonium schlechteri, these ranging in colour from a pale brown to purple. Climbing up another rock outcrop was Cyphostemma rubroglandulosa.

Haemanthus humilis

Hypericum aethiopicum

Searsia rudatisii

Hilliardiella hirsuta

Delosperma carterae

Pelargonium schlechteri

Cyphostemma rubroglandulosa

As one of the students had recently visited another area of grassland in the reserve where there were many flowers, we decided to drive there and explore further. On the way back to the vehicles we found Aloe maculata, Senecio speciosa, Hibiscus fuscus, Grewia hispida and Syncolostemon parviflorus.

Aloe maculata

Senecio speciosa 

It did not take us long to find swathes of flowers at this next part of the reserve. The most obvious from the vantage point of the vehicles were Cycnium adonense. A loud buzzing sound alerted us to a Zanthoxylum capense covered in flowers and buzzing with bees. We were surprised to see the very different suite of plants in this area, until we realised that the rocks here were sandstone whereas we had previously been in granite soils.

Cycnium adonense

Zanthoxylum capense

Vigna unguiculata with its large purple pea-like flower was a species we had not seen on the earlier part of our walk, nor had we seen the flowers on Sphenostylis angustifolia. We also found Graderia scabra, Hebenstretia comosa, Merwilla plumbea, Pachycarpus asperifolius, Eugenia albanensis and Gnidia phaeotricha. We had our lunch sitting on sandstone rocks looking down on a forest patch below us and listening to the bird calls emerging from the forest.  

Vigna unguiculata

Ursinia saxitilis

Sphenostylis angustifolia

Pachycarpus asperifolius

Our homeward trip was interrupted by several stops to look at some of the Amaryllidaceae family. The first of these was Boophone disticia and as we started the drop from the plateau towards the entrance gate we found Cytranthus breviflorus and Cyrtanthus contractus.

Just before the gate we noticed several Capparis tomentosa in flower at the side of the road. During this stop we also found Anisochaeta mikanioides and Lasiosiphon macropetalus. The weather had treated us very kindly, holding off on the forecasted rain until we hit the highway. It was great interacting with young botanists who we hope to encounter again later in their careers.

Cyrtanthus contractus

Capparis tomentosa

Anisochaeta mikanioides

Participants: Anne S, Babongile K, Benny B, Dorothy M, Elaine L, Graham G, George C, Hannah B, Mathew R, Tracy T.

Oribi Flats on a warm spring day (Thursday 13 September 2018)

This outing was arranged because we had been told that there were flowers on a small section of grassland in the Oribi Flats area that we have been monitoring. This grassland and an adjacent section have been the subject of a study between our CREW group and the farm owner, surveying the species richness over a two-year burn cycle, and we have records going back several years. These two grassland sections have not been tilled and last had significant grazing pressure at least two decades ago.

On this occasion we were joined by George Chelechele, the environmental manager of a development in Ifafa further north along the KZN south coast. Heidi also came along to see us enjoying her grassland.

Even before stopping the vehicles we could see the abundance of flowers. At the side of the road was a small cluster of Lactuca inermis with pale lilac flowers. All around were clumps of Euphorbia natalensis and sprawled on the ground were orange and yellow flowers of Argyrolobium rotundifolium. Everywhere one looked there were flower heads proudly held out in the sun.

Lactuca inermis

Euphorbia natalensis

Argyrolobium rotundifolium

Flowers in the burned grassland, with a background of unburned grassland before reaching the farmlands

We found a few Aristea abyssinica with their solitary blue flowers, bright yellow-flowered Berkheya setifera, Berkheya umbellata and Helichrysum acutatum as well as swathes of Helichrysum griseum. We also found an unobtrusive Aspidoglossum carinatum  and, only because we knew where to look,  Brachystelma pygmaeum in fruit with a few single flower buds. Dotted around the base of the Brachystelma were several small bulbs - presumably its offspring.

Aristea abyssinica 

Berkheya setifera

Berkheya umbellata

Helichrysum acutatum

Helichrysum griseum

Aspidoglossum carinatum

Brachystelma pygmaeum fruits

The silvery-leafed Hilliardiella aristata should be flowering in a few days but the Senecio erubescens plants still snuggled in their woolly apparel were yet to show signs of flowering.

Hilliardiella aristata 

Senecio erubescens

Colourful grassland adjacent to canefields

Having seen what there was to see on this grassland, we then drove to an adjacent farm to explore along the cliffs above the Umzimkulwana River gorge. Enjoying a sighting of the eponymous Oribi antelope on the way, we set off walking and before long were exposed to a different suite of plants. The first to catch attention were a few Podalyria burchellii shrubs and nearby was a group of Dietes grandiflora, with two plants flowering.

Podalyria burchellii

Dietes grandiflora

A bit further along we found a Seemannaralia gerrardii with some shiny bronze new leaves, but this tree had yet to produce its flowers for the season. Out in the open grassland we found Hybanthus enneaspermus - a recent publication has placed this species in a new genus - Afrohabanthus -  we will have to see whether this change is adopted. Also out in the open grassland was a young Berkheya bipinnatifida with its new leaves well protected with long hairs. In a bush clump we saw Coddia rudis  with its pendant flowers and the Tricalysia capensis  were putting on a great floral show.

New leaves on a Seemannaralia gerrardii

Hybanthus (Afrohybanthus) enneaspermus

Coddia rudis

Very hairy leaves of a Berkheya bipinnatifida

Tricalysia capensis

A few of the cliff-top Ekebergia pterophylla were flowering, and below one of these was a cluster of Crassula orbicularis sprouting old flower stalks. Unfortunately none of the nearby Streptocarpus were flowering.

Eckebergia pterophylla

Crassula orbicularis

We paused for lunch in the shade of some trees before walking back to the vehicles. Along the route we saw Striga bilabiata, Justicia protracta, Jasminum multipartitum and a rather splendid Agathosma ovata shrublet. 

Striga bilabiata

Justicia protracta

Jasminum multipartitum

Agathosma ovata

Looking down the Umzimkulwana River gorge

We then drove to the vulture restaurant and walked over to "Mike's Point" to see the vulture colony that nests on the cliffs. Walking along the cliff edges we saw Cadaba natalensis and Lycium acutifolium nearby. Sprouting a few leaves and small clusters of pale lilac flowers was an Ehretia rigida. Also sporting flowers and new leaves was Obetia tenax, and close to "Mike's Point" there was a Maerua caffra in flower.

Cadaba natalensis

Lycium acutifolium

Ehretia rigida

Obetia tenax

Maerua caffra

For a while we enjoyed the amazing sight of Cape Vultures soaring past just below us and a Crag Lizard decided to use Kate's knee as a hunting perch.

A Cape Vulture soars past below us

A different perch for a hunting Crag Lizard

A good spot for meditation

Heading back towards the vehicles we saw that the population of Aspalathus abbottii was doing well. We found a small cluster of Huernia hystrix under a shrub and then were surprised to find some Anacampseros rufescens plants in flower. Normally the flowers on this species are very ephemeral, opening early and closing at noon.

Maggie Abbott in front of a large Aspalathus abbottii

Anacampseros rufescens

Eriospermum flagelliforme

Participants: Alex V, Anne S, Colin T, Dorothy M, Elaine L, Graham G, George C, Heidi N, Kate G, Maggie A, Michel B, Tracy T.