After several days of good rain we gathered at Beacon Hill in overcast conditions and decided to return to the Syncolostemon Slopes area but on this occasion to walk coast-wards to explore along that section of cliffs. Driving through the farm bordering on the reserve, we were stopped rather unexpectedly stopped by security guards who reported that there had been theft of macadamia nuts and they wanted to know where we were headed. Once they were satisfied about our intentions, we continued along the very rough track through the macadamia plantation and reached our stopping point to be greeted by mist swirling up from the Umtamvuna River gorge. After donning the necessary waterproof gear we set off, immediately being struck by the numbers of both species of
Exochaenium -- E. grande and
E. sp. nov.
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| Exochaenium grande |
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| Exochaenium sp. nov. |
Other flowers using these rock sheets and the surrounding grassland were
Wahlenbergia huttonii and
Craterostigma sp. nov. (A paper to resurrect the name
Craterostigma nanum for this species is in preparation.)
There were also several tiny
Hypoxis flanaganii enjoying the wet conditions on the rock plates.
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| Wahlenbergia huttonii |
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| Craterostigma sp. nov. |
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| Hypoxis flanaganii |
A bit further along we came across a rather robust
Indigofera herrstreyi (this name has yet to be legitimised in a publication). On a rock outcrop we found some rather bedraggled
Lampranthus fugitans flowers and towering over them was a
Senecio oxyodontus. Next to another outcrop was a cluster of open-flowered Z
aluzianskya angustifolia - normally this species shuns bright sunlight so the overcast conditions had allowed it to open during the daytime.
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| indigofera herrstreyi (ined.) |
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| Senecio oxyodontus |
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| Zaluzianskya angustifolia |
Sheltering below the base of this rock outcrop was a small group of
Kniphofia laxiflora. We worked our way down and around the outcrop to explore a mist-enveloped forested cleft where we found
Hibiscus trionum and
Schizoglossum bidens subsp. bidens. For a long time we have wrestled with the status of
Hibiscus trionum as sources list it variously as naturalised or as indigenous. We have decided to lean in the direction of indigenous until persuaded otherwise.
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| Kniphofia laxiflora |
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| Hibiscus trionum |
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| Schizoglossum bidens subsp bidens |
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| Watching the mist rise up the cleft |
We waded on through the wet grass surrounded by swathes of D
issotis canescens. Everywhere we could see rain-drenched spider webs hanging like hammocks in the tall grass. The rain made some
Setaria sphacelata inflorescenses hang low.
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| Wading through the wet grass |
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| One of the many wet spider webs |
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| Setaria sphacelata |
We came to a place where a small waterfall dropped down into the gorge. In the shade below a rock at the edge of this forested stream we found a few
Brownleea coerulea in flower. The slopes down to the stream were covered in the remnants of
Streptocarpus formosus plants.
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| Brownleea coerulea |
We scrambled along the stream for a while but failed to find a crossing point. Along this section of grassland there were many flowering Syncolostemon ramulosus. We followed a very old track for some distance before working our way up towards some rocky crests. This was old farmland - an attempt had been made to establish a crop of Protea cynaroides but these plants had been abandoned. A fire last year had damaged many of these Proteas but several were resprouting.
Looking back we enjoyed the sight of the mist swirling up from the gorge but we were glad to get back into a dry vehicle.
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| Syncolostemon ramulosus |
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| Looking across a mist-filled Umtamvuna River gorge |
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| Sylvie parked on the gorge edge |
Participants: Anne S, Graham G, Kate G, Maggie A, Tracy T.
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