The day began with several hiccups. Our destination was a pin drop in the Oribi
Flats area which led us travelling up on our own routes finding what we thought
was the area to meet up but wasn’t. Some had got lost. With phone call’s “Where are you?", We are here.” and then replying “We are here” we bounced back saying, "You're not here" and then had to have
their GPS re-calculate which left our botanical morning starting off later and an absence of tea.
A very vibrant young lady called Sharon met us
at The Gorge Lodge and Spa, she was going to be our guide for the day, and we
had to do a report on the area. It is a
working farm so one will find Tea Tree, Rosemary and Macadamia-nut trees
growing. It once was a sugar cane farm and
because of the disturbance the exotics and invasive thrive. Wild animals gaze the grasslands.
There as some indigenous species that too can
be invasive and the one that stood out for C.R.E.W. was the Passerina
montivaga. This farm has a distillery and we thought that perhaps there could be a use found for this plant in its cultivation.
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| Passerina montivaga |
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| Mark, Dorothy and Anne trying to walk though the Passerina montivaga. |
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| Lippia javanica - Fever Tea |
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Monopsis unidenata
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| Acanthospermum australe - Naturalized exotics |
We meandered up stream for a while until the
Lantana would not allow us any further and then changed route to head up
towards a “koppie” where one always finds wonderful things living around and on
rocks. The stream was clean with frogs
in it and dragon flies skipping over the water as it gurgled by. In the damp shade we found the most beautiful
mushrooms.
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| Fungi |
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| Polygala macowaniana |
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| Asparagus falcatus |
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| Nivana |
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Putterlickia retrospinosa
|
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| Ludwiga octovalis |
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| Ludwigia octovalis |
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Combretum erythrophyllum
The Combretum erythrophyllum's leaves can be whirled in three's, opposite or alternate. |
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Combretum krausii
|
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| Dissotis canescens |
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| Hypoestes forskaolii |
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| Lobellia sp. |
As the sun rose higher, we found ourselves
wading through the Passerina montivaga and around islands of trees we found Pollichia campestris which tasted like a sugar drop.
The Searsia lucida was in full flower and the scent so delicately sweet. We lingered around the bush breathing in its beautiful honey scent. Hypoxis hemerocallidea were huge and were flowering and setting seed.
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| Hypoxis hemerocallidea |
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| Pollichia campestris |
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Pollichia campestris - flower head that tastes like sugar.
|
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| Searsia lucida - honey scent. |
On the rocks we found Crassula perfoliata var
coccinea and Cotyledon velutina, my hand instantly went to feel it’s velvet tongue. Crassula obovata var dregeana grew happily
and prolifically. Caputia medley-woodii
was thriving and going into flower. Crateostigma
looked healthy too and was quite abundant and flowering away on shallow rock surfaces. The Steptocarpus haygarthii was scattered all along the
rocks in crevices. Their little blue
heads gently waving in the breeze.
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| C.R.E.W. botanising |
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Wahlenbergia madagascariensis
|
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Wahlenbergia madagascariensis
|
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| Craterostigma nanum (ined.) |
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| Anacampseros rufescens |
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| Caputia medley-woodii |
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Streptocarpus haygarthii
|
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| Maytenus undata |
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| Diospyros villosa var. villosa - Hairy Star Apple |
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| Gymnosporia glaucophylla |
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Psychotria capensis
|
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| Rhoicissus tridentata subsp. tridentata |
In the grass Brachystelma rubellum got tangled
in the Passerina montivago and Polygala refracta was too in hiding.
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Brachystelma rubellum
|
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| Polygala refracta |
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| Ledebouria sp |
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| Anne keeping watch over us. |
With the setting sun we took a quick peep into
the forest edge at the lodge, and we had to force ourselves to leave as time was running out. It was just too magical in there. Every step we took we let out little sighs of
happiness. This will require a full day of
exploration to this area as their were orchids, Petopentia natalensis , Plectranthus oertendahlii to name just a few. The Ocna arborea left us touching its cool
bark and admiring its beautiful markings.
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| Berkhea rhapontica |
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| Helichrysum adenocarpum. subsp. adenocarpum |
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| Plectranthus ciliatus |
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| Petopentia natalensis |
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Sansevieria hyacinthoides
|
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| Ocna arborea - Cool to the touch |
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Ocna arborea
 |
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| Plectranthus oertendahlii - rare |
It was a wonderful day and to have this
opportunity to learn from the best with passionate teachers who have invested
their time and energy into teaching their students is such a privilege. Each day we live, learn and grow. Grateful and thankful to our teachers.
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| Tracy, Mark, Sharon, Anne, Alf, Buyi, Simon, Dorothy and Gail |
“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” — Vincent van Gogh
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