We decided to walk inland from Smedmore this Thursday to see if we could find other sub-populations of the new Hesperantha species that was flowering when we walked towards the Outeniqua Trail last week. We set off across a NW facing grassland mostly devoid of flowers and dropped down to cross a small stream. We walked parallel to the stream on an east-facing slope and it was not long before we saw the first Hesperantha peeking out above the tall grass. Not far away was a solitary Dimorphotheca fruticosa.
We continued following the forest margin as it turned into a cliff-edge forest. Here we found Diospros villosus with flowers and fruits and Combretum kraussii with substantial clusters of reddish brown fruits.
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| Dimorphotheca fruticosa |
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| Hesperantha sp. aff grandiflora |
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| Diospyros villosus |
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| Combretum kraussii |
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| A view down into the Umtamvuna River gorge |
A bit further along we found Acokanthera oblongifolia with many axillary clusters of buds. We came to another stream and as we headed down to cross it, it appeared possible to walk down the stream in the forested gully. In the stream bed we found a suitable spot for lunch and then continued on boulder hopping down the stream. The water disappeared below the stream bed for a while and then reappeared at a dry "waterfall" with a 30 m drop into the forest below.
Adjacent to the "waterfall" was a colony of Clivia robusta still with some in flower and others in fruit. A low-hanging branch of Mimusops obovata displayed some flowers. Also overhanging the stream bed was a flowering Carissa bispinosa.
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