Thursday’s outing was a celebration from the very start. Anne arrived proudly in her brand-new, five-door forest green Jimny—welcome to the Jimny family, Anne! There is something joyful about this little community of drivers: the flashing lights, the waves, and the smiles that come with owning a car that is as adventurous as its people.
Richard Boon had set a challenge: to look for stipules on the Erythrococca sp. nov. in the forest. Stipules are tiny appendages at the base of leaves, and in this yet-to-be-described species they appear as minute white nodes visible only under a loupe. Gail thought it best that more experienced eyes take up the task, but with that mission in mind we set out from Beacon Hill — only to find ourselves joyfully distracted by an overwhelming display of wildflowers.
It was one of those days where every step held us captive. Colours spilt across the grasslands, and we scarcely moved at all before lunch, so entranced were we by the diversity around us. As one of us put it: “I’m sure heaven is where we botanise.” The secret was fire — large areas of the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve had burnt earlier this year, and fire had worked its magic. Fire and flowers: a story as old as the veld. It was one of those excursions where your heart feels like it might burst from happiness.
Among the first to catch our eye was Watsonia mtamvuna, with its short stem carrying bright pink flowers, this is named after the very reserve in which we walked. Orchids delighted us next: Eulophia parviflora with its small, delicate flowers, and Eulophia hians, larger and showier. We were surprised not to find Drimia depressa, which we had seen in bud two weeks earlier — its flowering period so fleeting that we had missed it. Instead, Drimia echinostachya revealed its spiny inflorescences. Two species of Dipcadi challenged us: Dipcadi viride, with its leaves not twisting, and Dipcadi marlothii, whose leaves spiral distinctly — a subtle but telling difference.
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| Watsonia mtamvunae IRIDACEAE Vulnerable D2 South African endemic |
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| Eulophia parviflora ORCHIDACEAE |
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| Pondoland CREW. |
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| Drimia echinostachya HYACINTHACEAE Vulnerable A2ad; C2a(i) South African endemic   Ledebouria revoluta HYACINTHACEAE |
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| Dipcadi viride HYACINTHACEAE |
The grassland was dotted with Afroaster serrulatus, distinguishable from its relative A. hispidus by its smooth, hairless leaves. Lotononis bachmanniana, Nemesia denticulata, and the eye-catching Graderia scabra brightened the slopes. The silvery foliage of Helichrysum griseum shimmered as if dusted with light, while Acalypha punctata tempted us with fruit that looked as red and glossy as strawberries — though not for eating! Both male and female plants stood together.
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| Colour variation |
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| Afroaster serrulatus ASTERACEAE |
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| Lotononis bachmanniana FABACEAE Near Threatened A4c; B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) South African endemic |
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| Nemesia denticulata SCROPHULARIACEAE |
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| Graderia scabra OROBANCHACEAE |
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| Lasiosiphon kraussianus var. kraussianus THYMELAEACEAE |
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| Acalypha punctata EUPHORBIACEAE Male and female |
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| Helichrysum griseum ASTERACEAE South African endemic |
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| Indigofera rubroglandulosa FABACEAE South African endemic  Thesium natalense SANTALACEAE |
In the forest we lingered over Erythrococca sp. nov., hunting for stipules on the young nodes. Along the river we found Rinorea domatiosa, the leaves revealed its domatia — tiny hairy pockets on the leaves where mites take shelter. Although not in flower, it was fascinating to study its structure. Carissa bispinosa, with its starry white flowers and spines, grew alongside Buxus natalensis, the Cape boxwood.
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| Downwards! |
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| Anne, Sarel and Uschi carefully looking for tiny stipules on Erythrococca sp. |
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| Erythrococca sp. nov EUPHORBIACEAE Male flowers |
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| Dietes butcheriana IRIDACEAE South African endemic |
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| Carissa bispinosa APOCYNACEAE |
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| Hairy pockets |
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| Rinorea domatiosa VIOLACEAE Rare South African endemic |
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| Rhoicissus sp. nov VITACEAE |
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| Burchellia bubalina RUBIACEAE |
As the afternoon shadows lengthened, we climbed the slope again and found Hebenstretia dura. Its unfortunate common name, Eastern Shrubby Slugwort, does it no justice. Uschi compared it with Hebenstretia comosa, pointing out how very different the leaves are. Though these were nearly past flowering, the discovery was still exciting.
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| Hebenstretia dura SCROPHULARIACEAE |
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| Eriosema kraussianum FABACEAE |
We ended our day walking through fields of Helichrysum ecklonis. The flowers seemed to glow in the last light, and one could only imagine how magical this hillside would appear under a full moon. Here in Umtamvuna, we are richly spoiled with wildflowers — a true privilege for anyone who loves nature and walks it slowly with friends.
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| Helichrysum ecklonis ASTERACEAE |
So often people think of the Cape as South Africa’s floral jewel—but here in Pondoland, in the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, we are truly spoiled. Rich in endemics, alive with colour, this landscape is both fragile and resilient. What a privilege it is to botanise here with Pondoland CREW.
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| Anne and Gail's Jimny's |
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| Pondoland CREW Gail Bowers-Winters, Sarel Ciliers, Kerry Naish (guest), Dorothy McIntyre, Anne Skelton, Uschi Teircher and Hiliary Henderson “Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” — Gérard de Nerval |
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