One does not have to cover ground in search of species. Just to walk a few paces can take a couple of hours as there is so much to study. The loop is a valuable tool as it’s the detail that the naked eye does not pick up be in the scars, gland dots, hairy pockets and demata. It's so fascinating to study the leaf, the patterns of the veins, does it have a milky latex? The debates can be quite entertaining. It’s constructive arguing at it’s best. It’s good to question. The leaves are turned this way and that, the colour observed. The texture is felt. Is it rough? Is it velvety underneath the leaf? Small trees are not taken too seriously and a tree cannot be identified from far. The leaves/branches are required in one’s hands and the lesson learnt was that the trees unless tasted and smelt could not be positively identified. To identify a tree nothing must be overlooked. The tree book was opened swiftly and the keys were not required. What an experience it was to be botanising with our guests and Dorothy shared her plethora of knowledge with our guests as they were not familiar with the trees that grew in our reserve. Francois had a tree list and he was trying to find as many endemics as he could. We came across a huge tree but as the leaves were so high it was difficult to positively identify it but thought it to be either a Harpephyllum caffrum or Ekebergia. Dorothy had a piece of string and we measured 3.83 m around the trunk!
In the forest we found Eugenia erythrophylla, Pavetta galpinii, Cryptocarya wyliei, Myrsine africana, Colpoon compressum, Searsia lucida, Commiphora wooddii, Homalium dentatum, Carissa bispinosa, Rawsonia lucia, Strychnos mitis, Garcinia gerrardii, Rawsonia lucida, Atalay natalensis and Olea capensis macrocarpa to mention a few...
We returned home our hearts full and so grateful to learn from the very best.
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| Botany at its best |
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| An ancient Harpephyllum caffrum or Ekebergia tree. |
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| Oricia bachmannii Twin-berry Tree RUTACEAE |
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| Streptocarpus polyanthus subsp. polyanthus GESNERIACEAE |
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| Stenoglottis fimbriata subsp. fimbriata Fringed Stenoglottis ORCHIDACEAE |
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| Strychnos mitis Yellow Bitterberry LOGANIACEAE |
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| Pavetta galpinii Large-leaved Forest Brides-bush RUBIACEAE |
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| Carissa bispinosa Carissa wyliei APOCYNACEAE |
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| Encephalartos natalensis Giant Cycad ZAMIACEAE Near Threatened A2ad |
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| Chrysophyllum viridifolium Donella viridifolia Fluted-milkwood SAPOTACEAE |
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| Homalium dentatum Brown Ironwood SALICACEAE |
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| Searsia lucida ANACARDIACEAE |
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| Cassipourea malosana RHIZOPHORACEAE |
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| Isoglossa cooperi South African endemic ACANTHACEAE |
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| Hartvig and Uschi sitting quietly in a cave. |
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| Cassipourea malosana Onionwood RHIZOPHORACEAE |
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| Myrsine africana Cape Myrtle MYRSINACEAE |
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| Garcinia gerrardii CLUSIACEAE |
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| Taste it, feel it, smell it, then identify it. |
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| Brownleea coerulea ORCHIDACEAE |
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| Atalaya natalensis Forest Krantz Ash SAPINDACEAE Near Threatened B2ab(v) |
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| Eugenia erythrophylla Large-leaved Myrtle MYRTACEAE Near Threatened B1ab(iii,v) |
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| Gerbera sp. ASTERACEAE |
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| Rawsonia lucida Forest-peach ACHARIACEAE |
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Indigofera tristis FABACEAE |
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| Simon getting a sample of a leaf that was unobtainable until he bravely leapt off the cliff and into the tree. |
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| A contented Dorothy. |
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| Pondoland CREW. Simon, Hillary, Dorothy, Uschi, Anne, Tracy and Gail Guests: Francois Du Randt, and Hartvig Von Durckheim. |
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