Crags View

The CREW group was small on Thursday, so we decided to explore the open grasslands of the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve from Crag’s View. Just days before, ferocious winds had torn through the area, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Roofs were mangled, vehicles crushed under fallen trees, and fences collapsed as massive trunks toppled. Banana plantations lay flattened, their heavy bunches of banana's  sprawled across the ground. Macadamia orchards looked as though elephants in musth had stormed through, trees leaning awkwardly or completely uprooted, their roots exposed to the sky.

A record-breaking gust was recorded—250 km/h—confirming what we suspected: this wasn’t just any storm. A cyclone had lingered offshore, battering the coastline and causing widespread havoc.

And yet, as storms do, it eventually passed.

On Thursday, the wind had disappeared. The winter sun offered its gentle warmth as we stepped into the landscape, grateful for the stillness. Though not much was flowering, the quietness of the day was comforting in itself.

Among the golden grasses, helichrysums stood resilient, their petals frayed by the wind’s fury. The first tree to catch our eye was Nuxia floribunda, also known as the Forest elder. True to its name, “floribunda”—meaning “profusely flowering”—it was adorned with delicate, honey-scented cream blossoms, a soft reminder that nature renews.

Nearby, we came across Cryptocarya wyliei, the Red Wild-quince. Endemic to South Africa and considered near threatened, this species is being pushed toward vulnerability as scarp forests are cleared for agriculture and urban sprawl. Invasive species further fragment its habitat, isolating once-connected populations. We noticed something interesting—the leaves on this individual were completely hairless, in contrast to the softly hairy form we’d seen at Oribi.

A short while later, Pittosporum viridiflorum, or cheesewood, captured our attention with its glossy red seeds. Gail rubbed one on her hand to show Tracy how it left the skin silky smooth—like a natural silicone. It wasn’t sticky at all. She joked that she wished she could bottle the substance and keep it at home.  Cheesewood gets its name not from its smell, but from the texture of its wood and seed pulp—soft, resinous, and faintly cheesy in consistency, especially when freshly cut.

We wandered down to Stanard’s farm to see if anything else was in flower.  There we found Voacanga thouarsii in fruit. Most of its yellow-green pods lay scattered on the ground, violently flung down by the voracious wind.

Despite the relative lack of flowers, we left with full hearts. 

Kalanchoe rotundifolia

Umtamvuna Nature Reserve

Tracy

Nuxia floribunda
Forest Elder

Helichrysum adenocarpum subsp. adenocarpum

Helichrysum herbaceum

Helichrysum auriceps
South African endemic

Phymaspermum acerosum 

Schistostephium crataegifolium

Pittosporum viridiflorum
Cheesewood 

Voacanga thouarsii 

Wild-frangipani

Pondoland CREW
Dorothy McIntyre, Tracy Taylor & Gail Bowers Winters with Tao.

“Nature’s silence is the universal antidote to life’s nois, healing us without a word.” - Unknown

Western Heights

We headed cautiously through the grassy community land, the road barely visible, as we made our way toward Western Heights. We encountered a few challenges along the way—a plantation was being felled, and logs lay scattered across the dirt track. We jumped in and out of the Jimny, clearing the path, and pushed forward—driving past cattle and dogs—before finally entering the reserve. The gate, long neglected, now stood permanently open, allowing the herdsmen’s cattle to enter the reserve freely.

Not long after arriving, we spotted a herd of cattle being driven in. It’s hard not to feel disheartened when this happens. So little pristine grassland remains, and this reserve is a haven for researchers and plant lovers alike. Anne gently spoke to the herdsman, reminding him that grazing inside the reserve was not permitted. To our relief, he began guiding the cattle back out. Sadly, we knew they’d likely return as soon as we left—this area is no longer monitored, and enforcement is scarce.

We meandered through the rocky outcrops—always fascinating places to find plants. Like pages in a book, they reveal something new every time. We came across Cassipourea gummiflua verticillata. It wasn’t in flower, but still worth noting as it’s classified as “Vulnerable.” This tree holds traditional medicinal value in rural communities, particularly in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Extracts are used cosmetically to maintain healthy skin, improve complexion, aid in depigmentation, and promote healing and restoration.

A CREW member asked why it’s called “Onion Wood,” since crushing the leaves doesn’t produce any onion-like smell. After a bit of digging—thank you to Richard Boon—we learned the name comes from the freshly sawn wood, which releases a distinct onion-like aroma. The tree is also used for charcoal, crates, and poles.

In the grassland, we spotted a single Psoralea abbottii—a fragile, threadlike plant with a tiny purple pea-flower peeking through the grass. It had nearly been trampled by the cattle. We all gathered around to study it more closely. The name Psoralea is derived from the Greek word psoraleos, meaning “itchy” or “leprous”—a reference to the psoralen naturally found in the seeds.

Psoralea abbottii was named in honour of the late Tony Abbott (1936–2013), who discovered it. Tony was a remarkable figure in South African botany, having collected over 8,500 herbarium specimens and founded the Umtamvuna Herbarium. His legacy lives on in every plant he helped to protect and preserve.

Finally, we found Ficus burtt-davyi, also known as the scrambling fig, growing around the rocks. Sarel pointed out its characteristic features: simple, alternate, glossy green leaves with a recurved tip and three veins at the base. The small, spotted figs ripen into a rich purple-brown.

Despite the beastly easterly wind, we thoroughly enjoyed our day—made all the more special by Tracy’s return after a recent health scare. It felt like a reunion, and our spirits were lifted by the sense of togetherness. We’re deeply grateful to all the passionate teachers who so generously share their knowledge. Days like these remind us why we do this work and how much richer it is when shared.

Psoralea abbottii

Pondoland CREW looking at Psoralea abbottii.

A herd of cattle being brought into the reserve by a herdsmen.

The view from Western Heights looking towards Port Edward and the ocean.

Cassipourea gummiflua verticillata
Large-leaved Onionwood
Vulnerable* A4acd

Crassula perfoliata var. heterotricha

Botansing and crosswords, they can be very similar.

Syncolostemon ramulosus
South African endemic
Vulnerable D2

Pimpinella caffra

Wahlenbergia huttonii

Oldenlandia tenella

Alepidea penduncularis

Diospyros scabrida

Osteospermum imbricatum

Euryops brevipapposus

Gerrardina foliosa

Dorothy, Tracy and Simon

Ficus burtt-davyi

Cassinopsis tinifolia

Brachyleana glabra 

Athrixia phylicoides

 

Notobubon laevigatum

Pondoland CREW
Back:  Simon Hicks, Tracy Taylor and Anne Skelton
Front:  Sarel Cilliers, Alf Hayter, Maggie Abbott, Dorothy McIntyre,
Ushci Tercher  and Gail Bowers-Winters

“Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let you awareness rest upon it. How still they are, how deeply rooted in being. Allow nature to teach you stillness.” - ― Eckhardt Tolle

Oribi Gorge

In hope of finding the critically rare South African endemic Caputia oribiensis, we headed up to Oribi Gorge in hope of finding it in flower.  We were sadly too early but will return in hope of seeing it flower in July.  Caputia oribiensis is a drought resistant succulent shrublet that belongs to the daisy family.  This plant is protected by growing in inaccessible habitat.

How wonderful it was to botanise at this lovely time of year when all the aloes are opening and one isn't being melted by the midday sun.  Ochna arborea was all showy and the cool trunks made one stop and feel it and one looked at its beautiful markings.

We saw both Erianthemum dregei and Helixanthera woodii paratising trees.  The fruits luring birds in and sticking to their beaks as they flew off to other branches and dispersing the plants along the way. The flowers and fruit attract birds, the leaves are eaten by the larvae of Mylothris agathina, the Common dotted border butterfly.

 A cluster of Cynanchum viminale flowered on a long stem. A tiny posy reaching up into the sky.  This leafless succulent plant has a milky latex and can burn one's skin.  It is toxic and can cause death.

 

Caputia oribiensis 
Critically Rare
South African endemic

Ochna arborea

Helixanthera woodii

Erianthemum dregei

Cynanchum viminale

Along the edge we found Anisochaeta mikanioides flowering next to Coleus hadiensis, Streptocarpus polyanthus polyanthus, Crassula orbicularis and Caputia medley-woodii.  Some of these plants lured us dangerously over the edge.  The view below is always breath-taking.  One for a brief moment feels like a bird.  It's always amusing how differently people react when at great heights and some steer well away from the edge with no intention of venturing near to where some special plants grow. 

Crassula is derived from the Latin word crassus meaning ‘thick’, which refers to the fleshy leaves found in members of the genus and orbicularis derived from the Latin word orbiculus meaning ‘round’ or ‘disc-shaped’.   Ref:  https://pza.sanbi.org/crassula-orbicularis 

Anisochaeta mikanioides

Coleus hadiensis

Caputia medley-woodii

Crassula orbicularis

Polygala macowaniana and Polygala gracilenta were flowering in the grassland.  Cryptocarya wyliei fruits are always eye catching and the leaves are blue below and hairy.  What an ornamental shrub this is.  The species name "Wyliei" was named in honour of James Wylie (1861-1947) who was first appointed in Durban Botanical Garden as a gardener and later on became the second curator of the garden, after Medley Wood. Ref:  https://pza.sanbi.org/cryptocarya-wyliei

  

Polygala macowaniana

  

Polygala gracilenta

Cryptocarya wyliei

As we meandered back, we ended it off by enjoying an ice-cream and finding a scented Mystacidium venosum growing on the rock.  What a spectacular display of flowers.  These flowers a sweetly scented and pollinated by Hawk moths.

Huge Gasteria's could also be seen growing on the edge of the cliff in the shade.  Crassula sarmentosa integrifolia and Streptocarpus polyanthus polyanthus could also be seen flowering. A row of gland dots is present on the inside of the leaf margin on Crassula sarmentosa integrifolia.  This is always interesting to observe when using the loupe.   

Mystacidium venosum

Our dedicated Pondoland CREW members, Ushi and Dorothy looking up a puzzling plant that was growing along the grassland edge.

Streptocarpus polyanthus polyanthus

Gland dots on the leaf margin.

Crassula sarmentosa integrifolia

Carissa wyliei

Oribi always delivers despite the distance it takes in getting there.  I am always in awe of the passion and dedication to our CREW members.

Pondoland CREW
Uschi Teicher, Gail Bowers-Winters, Anne Skelton,
Maggie Abbott, Dorothy McIntyre & Hilary Henderson

“Like wildflowers; you must allow yourself to grow in all the places people thought you never would.” – E.V