Pondoland C.R.E.W. Blog: Scores of Scolopias at the Shute (Thursday 19 April, 2019)

Having been given a key to some of the gates through the new fences bordering the Umtamvuna reserve, we decided to try out the copies of the key to ensure they worked before returning the original. We headed for the point of our usual acess to Hazel Ridge and parked next to the new gate. With a bit of difficulty we got the key to work and set off straight down towards Gonioma Heights. The entire grassland on this west-facing slope was dotted with little starbursts of Helichrysum adenocarpum and a few Aristea abyssinica.

Aristea abyssinica below Helichrysum adenocarpum

In a dip where the grass was taller we found several Euryops leiocarpus and the heads of Heliophila rigidiuscula extended above the tall grass. Here we also found Pimpinella caffra and a pair of rather spiky fruits on a Schizoglossum bidens.

We headed inland towards another small bushy outcrop where we found Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus with some opened fruits. Moving around the bush clump, we were exposed to fantastic views of the forested Shute and into the Umtamvuna River gorge.

Euriops leiocarpus

Heliophila rigidiuscula

Pimpinella caffra

Schizoglossum bidens

Looking up the Umtamvuna river gorge with The Shute on the right

Walking through the grassland we came across Tenrhynea phylicifolia with their attractive grey foliage and there were also some pink-flowered Syncolostemon ramulosus.

Tenrhynea phylicifolia

Syncolostemon ramulosus

Making our way down to the gorge edge (photo: Gail B-W)

Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus

From here we worked our way back coastwards along the clifftops, eventually encountering a small watercourse. There was an interesting orange fruit-bearing tree in the forest along this watercourse and we scrambled down to see what it was. It turned out to be Scolopia mundii and while the first one we saw was bearing the most fruits, we could detect several more of this species in this small forested gully. Red-winged Starlings seemed to be enjoying these fruits. In the same area Schefflera umbellata displayed its terminal sprays of flowers.

At the forest edge we found a few Polygala gazensis in flower and tucked away at the edge of the forest was a small Maytenus oleosa with many axiliary buds. In the forest there were several Rhynchocalyx lawsonoides with clusters of small fruits.

Schefflera umbellifera

Polygala gazensis

Maytenus oleosa

Rhynchocalyx lawsonoides fruits

Scolopia mundii

Just before we crossed this watercourse, we found a small cluster of Phylica natalensis, a species of conservation concern that we seldom see. On the other bank, Gail captured this interesting image of the inflorescence of Lasiosiphon anthylloides holding fast to a raindrop from the previous night. For a while the clouds looked threatening but these dissipated while we had our lunch.

We then found our way into the next forested watercourse and enjoyed cool conditions for a while as we scrambled up the rocky watercourse. We were disturbed to see that several of the large trees in this watercourse had been debarked -- presumably for traditional medicinal purposes -- and in some cases the trees had been ringbarked, killing the tree.

Eventually we emerged from the forest to find a small population of Cineraria dryogeton. This is now the third sub-population of this Vulnerable endemic species we have found in the reserve.