As we had not previously visited the Sutherland farm in Jolivet in December, we took the opportunity to do so and Lloyd Mhlongo and his sisters Nomende and Sthokozo joined us on a hot and steamy day. When we arrived we elected to enter the grassland conservation area at the bottom gate and immediately stopped at the stream to see what was flowering along the banks.
We found Senecio albanensis var doroniciflorus, Chamaecrista mimosoides, a solitaryTritonia distichia, a group of Crocosmia pottsii overhanging the stream, Albuca virens and Momordica balsamina. In the streamside forest and along the forest fringe we found a Dioscorea that might be D. rupicola, Pilogyne scabra, as well as Ekebergia capensis, Trimeria grandifolia, and Suregada africana, all bearing many fruits. Growing in the water were some Cotula nigellifolia and there were several Rumex dregeanus on the grassy banks.
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| Senecio albanensis var doroniciflorus |
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| Crocosmia pottsii |
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| Cotula nigellifolia |
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| Acmelia caulirhiza |
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| Albuca virens |
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| Chamaecrista mimosoides |
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| Pilogyne scabra |
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| Momordica balsamina |
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| Ekebergia capensis fruits |
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| Suregada africana |
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| Rumex dregeanus |
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| Trimeria grandifolia fruits |
We also found what might be Justicia protracta, but lacking any reference books with us on the trip, positive IDs will have to follow. Two species of Helichrysum had also made their home near the stream, H. appendiculatum and H. cooperi.
The high humidity in the valley and the lack of a breeze soon persuaded us to move on and we drove up the steep rocky road to a grassland knoll.
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| Justicia cf protracta |
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| Helichrysum appendiculatum |
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| Helichrysum cooperi |
With a bit of a cooling breeze to encourage us on the steep slopes we found a sprawling
Indigofera cf
subulata, some
Jamesbrittenia kraussiana,
Lippia javanica, Nemesia caerulea, a rather odiferous but unidentified
Stachys species
, a possible
Priva species and quite a few of the nettle,
Tragia glabrata. In a small bush clump we found a very dentate- and trifoliolate-leafed shrub which was identified for us by Richard Boon as
Smodingium argutum, the pain-bush, so named because of the burns caused by exposure to the sap of this plant.
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| Smodingium argutum |
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| Indigofera cf subulata |
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| Jamesbrittenia kraussiana |
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| Lippia javanica |
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| Nemesia caerulea |
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| Stachys sp. |
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| Priva sp. |
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| Tragia glabrata |
We drove further, enjoying a very prominent
Erythrina humeana flowering in the grass below us and stopped at a rocky hilltop. Here we found
Brachystelma rubellum, an orchid we think is a
Bonatea, and then Lloyd made the find of the day, the Endangered
Brachystelma gerrardii.
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| Erythrina humeana |
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| Brachystelma rubellum |
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| Bonatea boltonii |
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| Brachystelma gerrardii |
Suffering from the heat out in the sun, we drove on to one of the few shady areas on the farm and had lunch in a relatively cool forest patch. In this patch we found flowering
Pavetta, Canthium ciliatum, a
Disperis lindleyana, Combretum kraussii and a
Streptocarpus that still has to be identified.
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| Canthium ciliatum |
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| Disperis lindleyana |
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| Combretum kraussii |
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| Pavetta sp. |
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| Streptocarpus sp. |
On the return trip we ventured back out into the sum where we found tall
Disa chrysostachya, a few
Satyrium longicauda and some patches of
Rhynchosia villosa. In the valley the
Riocreuxia flanagannii var
alexandrina were still flowering profusely and we managed to find some with very small, immature fruits. Also in this rank grass was a
Eucomis comosa var comosa.
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| Disa chrysostachya |
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| Rhynchosia villosa |
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| Riocreuxia flanaganii var. alexandrina |
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| Eucomis comosa subsp. comosa |
On the way back along the R612 towards the N2 highway we stopped along the roadside to look at a small group of
Gladiolus ochroleucas.
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| Gladiolus ochroleucas |
Participants: Graham G, Kate G, Lloyd M, Nomende G, Sthokozo G,
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