A few weeks earier we had been contacted by Dr. Timo van der Niet from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg to say that he would have a group of botanists visiting from China who would like to see South African orchids in the wild and he wondered whether a visit to the Port Edward area would be worthwhile. We undertook to keep an eye on what orchids were flowering closer to the time of their trip and fortunately we had quite a lot to offer when the time arrived.
We arranged to all meet at the hotel in Port Edward where the Chinese visitors had spent the night. I arrived before Timo and his colleagues so I introduced myself to Prof. Huang, Vice President of the Chenshan Botanical Gardens in Shanghai, China and his two colleagues Kai Jiang and Qi Wang. It was not long before Timo arrived with his two colleagues, Miguel Castañeda-Zárate and Daichi Funamoto.
We made up a very cosmopolitan group as we set off to the first grassland I had targeted for visiting, the Rennie's Beach portion of the Red Desert Nature Reserve. It was not long before we found the first terrestrial orchids, Disa versicolor and then we were among many Disa similis.
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Looking at the first orchids of the day (In front, Daichi Funamoto and
behind from left, Qi Wang, Kai Jiang and Timo v d Niet) |
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| Prof. Huang admiring an unusual coloured Disa woodii |
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| Disa versicolor |
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| Disa similis |
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| On orange variant of the normally yellow Disa woodii |
We crossed a small stream to see if there were any other orchid species flowering closer to the sea but apart from everyone enjoying the sight of Harveya speciosa, we failed to find more.
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| Harveya speciosa |
We then drove up to the Beacon Hill entrance to the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve and after briefly meeting with the Reserve Manager, Enoch Mahlangu, we set off to find more orchids. This was relatively easily done as there was a good collection of lithophytic species on the rocks near the reserve offices. Here we found a cluster of Polystachya pubescens, which Prof. Huang had seen when he visited the orchid show in Durban the previous day. Nearby was a Cyrtorchis arcuata flowering in a cluster of other lithophytes, including Polystachya pubescens, Tridactyle bicaudata subsp. rupestris and Rangaeris muscicola. The latter two species were not yet flowering.
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| Polystachya pubescens |
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| Cyrtorchis arcuata |
We then walked down the slope for a short distance, finding Disa stachyoides, Eulophia hians and several of the leafless form of Satyrium longicauda. This latter species is the subject of Miguel's PhD research project. Lower down the slope in a much wetter grassland section, he was very gratified to see the two-leafed form of Satyrium longicauda in large numbers. When he visited this same area in 2017, the conditions were less optimal for the Satyrium and there were far fewer flowers.
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| Eulophia hians |
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| Disa stachyoides |
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| A cluster of the wetland form of Satyrium longicauda |
We headed over the next rise and down to the next stream where we found many Disa caffra and Satyrium trinerve, and this required a lengthy stop for photographs. Taking a route back via the top of Ingrid's Falls to give the visitors a view of the Bulolo River gorge, we saw the last orchid species for the day, a lone Disa tripetaloides growing at the side of the stream.
Pausing on the way back to look at two flowering members of the Proteaceae, Protea caffra and Leucadendron spissifolium subsp. oribinum, it was time for everyone to head homeward. It was certainly a privilege to share some of our floral riches with such a knowledgeable and appreciative group.
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| Disa caffra |
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| Satyrium trinerve |
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| Disa tripetaloides |
Participants: (From L to R in photo above): Kathy (tour guide), Qi Wang, Kai Jiang, Prof. Weichang Huang, Dr. Timo v d Niet, Graham Grieve, Daichi Funamoto, Miguel Castañeda-Zárate
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