After good early autumn rains we decided to visit Foster's Folly, a steep but climbable rock-capped finger pointing into the Umtamvuna River gorge. Its rocky summit is always interesting and the views in the vicinity are stupendous.
As we set off walking we saw several eye-catching patches of Monocymbium ceresiiforme with the russet seed heads waving in the breeze. In the grassland we found a few Aspalathus chortophila in flower and amongst the moss on rock sheets were many Craterostigma sp. nov., some of which were flowering.
We reached the first of two places where large slabs of cliff had moved away from the edge, with the gap having become filled with soil and debris, providing habitat for species usually found in dense forest. Here we found
Rothmannia capensis and
R. globosa, both bearing a good crop of fruits. Also in this gap was a
Podocarpus latifolius with dozens of small blue-green fruits peeping from the leaf axils.
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| Monocymbium ceresiiforme |
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| Aspalathus chortophila |
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| Craterostigma sp. nov. |
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| Podocarpus latifolius fruits |
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| Rothmannia globosa fruits |
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| Rothmannia capensis fruits |
A bit further along in the open grassland we found a few
Protea roupelliae with a conveniently situated open flower in one case. A flash of bright orange caught our attention and this proved to be an early
Erica cerinthoides. In a crevice in a rock outcrop we found a small broad-leafed
Delosperma. This is a species we have yet to identity. On top of the rock outcrop was
Euryops brevipapposus and in the grassland nearby were some flowering
Helichrysum pannosum.
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| Protea roupelliae |
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| Delosperma sp. |
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| Erica cerinthoides |
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| Euryops brevipapposus |
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| Helichrysum pannosum |
Just before we reached Foster's Folly we found an Ypsilopus erectus in bud. This particular plant is in an easily reached place, unusual for Ypsilopus which seems to prefer growing on exposed rock faces above sheer vertical drops. As we approached Foster's Folly we saw a small cascade on the opposite bank of the gorge through which the Swamp Forest river discharges into the Umtamvuna River. This is the first time we have seen significant flow in this waterfall.
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| Ypsilopus erectus |
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| View around Foster's Folly into the Umtamvuna River gorge |
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| Small cascade tumbling down to meet the Swamp Forest stream |
As we scrambled through the shrubs to get onto the top of Foster's folly, we saw several Plectranthus ernstii with their "Michelin Man" stalks. In the leaf litter on the ground were a few Hypoxis membranaceus and several Brownleea coerulea. We also found what appeared to be bright red sporangia on a moss or lichen.
We were delighted to find that one of the several Trichocladus grandiflorus we know to grow along this path was flowering - the first time some of us had seen this species flowering in the wild.
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| Plectranthus ernstii |
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| The base of a Plectranthus ernstii |
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| Hypoxis membranaceus |
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| Trichocladus grandiflorus |
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| Brownleea coerulea |
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| Spores on moss or lichen |
We enjoyed lunch in the shade of the low trees here and then admired a small
Cussonia nicholsonii that had managed to produce a cluster of fruits.
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| Plectranthus saccatus subsp. pondoensis |
Setting off back through the grassland we found
Moraea spathulata, a few
Rhoicissus tridentata in fruit and a robust
Lotononis eriocarpa.
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| Moraea spathulata |
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| Rhoicissus tridentata fruits |
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| Lotononis eriocarpa |
Participants; Anne S, Gail B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Maggie A, Tracy T.
