It was wonderful to have old familiar faces join us to botanise and from Beacon Hill we drove to Panpack and began our excursion from there. It was to be a day filled with endemics.
We came across Chironia albiflora which is a rare herb growing on the forest margin. The name "Chironia" is named after Chiron, a centaur who studied medicine, astronomy and arts.
 |
| Chironia albiflora GENTIANACEAE Rare South African endemic |
 |
 |
| Delosperma subpetiolatum AIZOACEAE Vulnerable B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii) South African endemic |
 |
| The day begins slowly... |
 |
| Exploring the grassland and finding treasures. |
 |
| Rhipsalis baccifera subsp. mauritiana CACTACEAE |
 |
| Ralph, Gerhard and Hillary |
 |
| Moraea elliotii IRIDACEAE Utricularia subulata, Genlisea hispidula and Nymphoides thunbergianais are all found in fresh water. |
 | ||||
| Utricularia subulata LENTIBULARIACEAE
|
 |
| Satyrium longicauda Blushing Bride Satyrium ORCHIDACEAE Passerina rigida is a South African endemic with a weeping habit. It occurs mainly on coastal dunes and in adjacent river valleys. Its common name is Dune gonna and recommended for dune reclamation. Its bark is tough and difficult to break young stems. It is wind pollinated. |
 |
| Passerina rigida THYMELAEACEAE South African endemic |
 |
| Satyrium sphaerocarpum ORCHIDACEAE |
 |
| Maesa lanceolata MAESACEAE |
 |
| Gerrardina foliosa ACHARIACEAE |
 |
| Struthiola pondoensis Struthiola pondoensis South African endemic |
 |
| Plectranthus saccatus subsp. pondoensis LAMIACEAE South African endemic We found Streptocarpus porphyrostachys near a small waterfall on a damp rock along the steam. The word "porphyrostachys" means a purple plant, and if one turns the back of the leaf, it is indeed a dark purple-red colour. The flowers are violet with a white patch below the mouth and are sparsely hairy. These flower between November and January. The fruit capsule is 40-65mm. |
 |
| Streptocarpus porphyrostachys GESNERIACEAE Near Threatened D2 |
 |
| Anemone brevistylis Synonyms: Knowltonia brevistylis RANUNCULACEAE South African endemic |
 |
| Protea roupelliae subsp. roupelliae Silver Sugarbush PROTEACEAE |
 |
| Lunch under the shade of the trees. |
 |
| Erica cubica ERICACEAE South African endemic |
 |
| Schizochilus zeyheri ORCHIDACEAE |
 |
| Alf capturing the little orchid growing on the banks near The Beacon. |
 |
| Schizochilus zeyheri ORCHIDACEAE |
Satyrium trinerve flowers between October and February and is found in black, wet soils. Its pollinated mainly by beetles.
 |
| Satyrium trinerve ORCHIDACEAE Leucadendron spissifolium subsp. natalense is declared a near threatened species and a South African endemic. It survives fires by resprouting from its underground rootstocks and the seeds are stored in fire-resistant inflorescences and released after fires. It is pollinated by insects and male and female flowers occur on separate plants. |
 |
| Leucadendron spissifolium subsp. natalense PROTEACEAE Natal Spear-leaf Conebush Near Threatened B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) South African endemic |
 |
| Searsia carnosula False Nana-berry ANACARDIACEAE South African endemic |
 |
| Utricularia livida LENTIBULARIACEAE |
Aristea compressa is another South African endemic and native to the Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, Mozambique, Swaziland. It has been introduced to Hawaii and Jamaica.
 |
| Aristea compressa Aristea gerrardii IRIDACEAE South African endemic |
 |
| Peter taking it all in. |
 |
| Botanists at work and play. |
 |
| Gazania krebsiana ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Tephrosia macropoda var. diffusa Creeping Tephrosia FABACEAE Delosperma carterae is an endemic. "Delos = visible, open, transparent, sperma = seed; referring to seeds that are easily visible as they are uneclosed chamber of the capsule which has no covering membrane. |
 |
| Delosperma carterae AIZOACEAE South African endemic |
 |
| Hesperantha baurii subsp. baurii IRIDACEAE |
 |
| Ophrestia oblongifolia var. oblongifolia FABACEAE |
 |
| Peach colour |
 |
| Tritonia disticha IRIDACEAE |
 |
| PONDOLAND CREW/THE THURSDAY GROUP Sarel, Dorothy, Tracy, Peter, Alf, Hillary, Gail, Anne and Gerhard |
No comments:
Post a Comment