We met at Beacon Hill, the air was cool and breezy, the clouds grey but not threatening to rain upon us on the usual route that finds us normally drenched. How wonderful it was to botanize and not be scorched by the sun and to take photographs during the midday without the glare which can leave one wilted like a flower by the end of the day during the humid and hot month of February.
We set off with the intention
of mapping out a new path for the Umtumvunae hikers, a dream that Dorothy
wanted to see happen in her life time which took one from the office at the Umtumvuna reserve were one would walk up to the Beacon and then to create a new trail
which lead one down to the dam and across Mr. Hugh Nicholson's Gully, along the
escarpment heading back to the office. The proposed trail would be able to link one back onto an existing trail were it takes one down into the gorge or one could simply
meander back with circumferencing a distance of around 3 km.
The grass was thick and quite a
slog to walk through. One could only have the greatest admiration for Dorothy
who waded through it diligently without a pause and only a purpose and who
never tired in helping us identify the plants coming from her eager and questioning
students. What incredible patience she has in her teachings. What
comes through strongly is the passion that comes from both the teacher and the
student. To live passionately and with purpose is what it's all about.
The flowers were plentiful and it was such a joy to see the Brunsvigia grandiflora magnificently flowering. It's so easy to simply take a different route and in doing so one misses a beauty like this but then one will see something else special in some other place just depending on the timing and seasons. Erica cubica flowered on the rocks and we paused to admire the Melasma scabrum, something that we don't often come across.
As the day drew to a close we congregated together and Simon who had collected "takkies" as Dorothy call's them put specimens on the table and put us to the challenge of identifying them. This can be quite a test. The leaves are turned over and then scrutinized. The books come out just in case we need to do a bit more homework.
It's a privilege to be part of this group and to learn. One never stops learning as what is flowering today is gone tomorrow and then the next season is upon us and one has to wait another year for a species to flower and then the challenging in remembering its name and sometimes we find there's an annoying name change...
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Dissotis canescens
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| Desmodium setigerum |
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| Desmodium setigerum leaves |
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| Desmodium dregeanum |
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| Hybanthus enneaspermus |
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| Hybanthus enneaspermus seed capsule |
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| Hybanthus enneaspermus |
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| Pentanisia angustifolia |
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| Selago tarachodes |
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| Selago tarachodes leaves |
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| Schizocarphus nervosus |
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| Aspidoglossum ovalifolium |
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| Aspidoglossum ovalifolium |
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| Polygala macowaniana |
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| Isoglossa ovata |
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| Isoglossa ovata |
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| Alepidea peduncularis |
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| Alepidea peduncularis leaves |
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| Gnidia coriacea |
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| Thunbergia atriplicifolia |
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| Lippia javanica |
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| Hibiscus trionum |
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| Hibiscus trionum leaves |
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| Hibiscus trionum seed capsules |
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| Hibiscus trionum seed |
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| Dorothy and Debbie |
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| Alectra sessiliflora |
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| Cyphia elata |
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Cyphia elata
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| Vigna vexillata |
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| Vigna vexillata leaves |
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| Tephrosia grandiflora |
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| Tephrosia grandiflora |
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| Sopubia simplex |
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| Sopubia simplex |
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| Sopubia simplex |
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| Exochaenium grande |
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| Exochaenium grande |
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| Helichrysum cymosum |
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| Helichrysum cymosum |
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| Helichrysum appendiculatum |
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| Helichrysum appendiculatum |
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| Lasiosiphon triplnervis |
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| Lasiosiphon triplnervis (5 petals) |
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| Asparagus sp. |
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| Asparagus sp. |
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| Asparagus sp. |
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| Monopsis unidentata |
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| Hypoxis sp. seed |
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| Exochaenium sp. nov |
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| Exochaenium sp. nov |
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| Exochaenium sp. nov |
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| Argyrolobium harveyanum |
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| Argyrolobium harveyanum |
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| Argyrolobium harveyanum |
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| Crassula vaginata subsp. vaginata |
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| Crassula vaginata subsp. vaginata |
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| Brunsvigia grandiflora |
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| Helichrysum pannosum |
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| Helichrysum pannosum flowers |
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| Helichrysum pannosum leaves |
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| Kniphofia parviflora awakening |
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| Kniphofia parviflora |
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| Kniphofia parviflora |
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| Kniphofia laxiflora smooth and hairless leaves |
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| Kniphofia laxiflora (the underside of the leaf) |
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| Kniphofia laxiflora |
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| Eucomis autumnalis |
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| Indigofera hilaris var. hilaris |
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| Indigofera hilaris var. hilaris |
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| Helichrysum auriceps |
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| Helichrysum auriceps |
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| Vigna vexillata |
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| Melasma scabrum |
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Melasma scabrum
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| Melasma scabrum leaves |
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| Diospyros scabrida seed |
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| Asclepias praemorsa |
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| Asclepias praemorsa |
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| Asclepias praemorsa |
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| Gazania krebsiana |
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| Cryptocarya wyliei |
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| Aeollanthus parvifolius |
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| Aeollanthus parvifolius |
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| Aeollanthus parvifolius |
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| Looking to create a new trail for visitors. |
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| Eriosema sp. Possibly Eriosmea rossii. |
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| Eriosema sp. |
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| Eriosema sp. seed |
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| Eriosema sp. |
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| Leonotis intermedia |
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| An old Syzigium cordatum trunk. |
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| Nymphoides thunbergiana |
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| Buchnera dura |
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| Tulbaghia acutiloba |
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| Anastrabe integerrima |
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| Gnidia coriacea (4 petals) |
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| Bulbine sp. nov |
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| Roella glomerata |
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| Roella glomerata |
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| Crassula obovata var. dregeana (Vulnerable D2) |
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| Crassula obovata var. dregeana |
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| Indigofera herrstreyii |
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| Indigofera herrstreyii |
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| Indigofera herrstreyii |
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| Erica cubica |
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| Agapanthus sp. |
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| Satyrium trinerve |
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| Caesia contorta |
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| Caesia contorta |
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| Tinnea galpinii |
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| Gall's on Ochna serrulata |
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| Habenaria dives |
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| Crassula pellucida subsp. brachypetala |
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| Crassula pellucida subsp. brachypetala |
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| Tephrosia polystachya |
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| Tephrosia polystachya |
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| Tephrosia polystachya leaves |
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| Pachycarpus grandiflorus |
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| Indigastrum fastigiatum |
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| Indigastrum fastigiatum |
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| Nemesia sp. |
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| Sphenostylis marginata |
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| Sphenostylis marginata leaves |
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Sphenostylis marginata
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Trees
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| Eugenia verdoorniae |
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| Manilkara nicholsonii |
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| Bersama swinnyi |
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| Eugenia erythrophylla |
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| Eugenia erythrophylla |
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| Eugenia erythrophylla back of leaves |
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| Syzigium gerrardii |
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| Cunonia capensis |
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| Grewia pondoensis |
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| Rothmannia globosa |
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| Cryptocarya wyliei |
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| Syzigium cordatum seed heads |
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| Apodytes abbotti seed |
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| Tricalysia capensis |
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| Robsonodendron eucleiforme |
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| Simon and Dorothy not leaving a leaf unturned and |
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| Dovyalis lucida |
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| Dovyalis lucida |
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| Pondoland C.R.E.W. Tracy T. Debbie K. Gail B-W, Simon, Dorothy M. Beacon Hill, Umtumvuna |
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