With permission granted before sunrise, we met at Beacon Hill and made our final decision about where to botanise. Consideration had to be given to our elders, as the sun promised to be scorching, so an easily accessible forest was the sensible choice for this Thursday’s outing.
Smedmore offered us the best of both worlds: open grassland and an ancient forest filled with enormous trees. It was one of our favourite places.
A recently burnt firebreak had transformed the veld into a blaze of colour. Spring had arrived, and wildflowers were carpeting the grassland in a remarkable display. Along the forest margin, Cynanchum ellipticum, Lauridia tetragona and could be seen flowering.
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| Cynanchum ellipticum APOCYNACEAE |
An old Tricalysia capensis was in full flower, and its intoxicating perfume filled the hot summer air. Nearby, Combretum edwardsii was in full bud. Its unusual rounded flower buds caught our attention immediately. Looking up into the tree, it appeared as though pom-poms had been hung from every branch.
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Tricalysia capensis RUBIACEAE |
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| P.C. Tracy |
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| Combretum edwardsii COMBRETACEAE South African endemic |
There was no need to walk far to find flowers. At almost every step, another botanical treasure appeared. Hypoxis hemerocallidea, Hypericum aethiopicum subsp. sonderi, Eriospermum mackenii, and Thunbergia atripicifolia were among the plants we encountered.
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| Hypoxis hemerocallidea HYPOXIDACEAE |
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| Hypericum aethiopicum subsp. sonderi HYPERICACEAE |
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| Thunbergia atriplicifolia ACANTHACEAE |
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Eriospermum mackenii RYSCACEAE |
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| Pentanisia prunelloides RUBIACEAE |
One cannot help wondering why so many people rush to the Cape to see spring flowers when the Umtamvuna has such extraordinary botanical treasures of its own. At this time of year, the grasslands can be every bit as rewarding.
Dimorphotheca fruticosa was flowering cheerfully, its white daisy-like flowers trailing through the grassland. We also found it growing on the rocks, demonstrating just how hardy and adaptable this attractive plant can be.
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| Dimorphotheca fruticosa ASTERACEAE |
By midday the heat was intense, I-phones warned us they had overheated as had we. Not having carried a camera creating a blog could have been very uninteresting without photographs if the I-phones had decided to shut down. We continued along the forest margin where Rothmannia globosa was in flower. The tree was laden with white, beautifully scented flowers. How beautiful the forest is to see the explosion of white coming from the canopies and the forest floor ladened with fallen flowers.
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| Rothmannia globosa RUBIACEAE |
An Ochna serrulata was also a mass of yellow flowers. I wonder which is more cheerful, a sunflower or an Ochna? We felt particularly fortunate to have arrived at precisely the right time to witness these trees at their flowering peak.
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| Ochna serrulata OCHNACEAE |
Then came one of the more challenging finds of the day. Creeping up a tree was Ischnolepis natalensis, flowering among the vegetation. Photographing it was not straightforward. The flower could not be teased down for closer inspection using “James” — Uschi’s trusty stick with a hook on the end — as Uschi had left James behind which left Gail balanced precariously near the cliff edge to capture the photograph. It was one of those field-botany moments where getting the photograph is almost as memorable as finding the plant!
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| Ischyrolepis natalensis RESTIONACEAE |
Our group had divided earlier in the morning to explore different areas, but by lunchtime we had all regrouped in the shade of the Smedmore forest. We found each other merely by hearing the chatter.
Coming in from the open grassland, the forest felt like entering another world. The shade was wonderfully cool after the fierce heat outside. Even the rocks offered relief; placing a hand against their surfaces revealed how icy cold they remained beneath the forest canopy, helping cool bodies that had overheated while botanising in the sun.
Inside the forest, Brachmanii woodii could be seen bearing seed capsules hanging from little stalks. They reminded us of a boxer’s punchball suspended from a string. A few flowers remained, giving us a glimpse of what must have been a spectacular sight when the tree was in flower, with its delicate flowers hanging from the branches of this remarkable “Five Finger Bush”.
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| Bachmannia woodii BRASSICACEAE South African endemic |
Walking through the forest is certainly not easy. Huge boulders and rough, rocky ground make progress slow and careful, but the effort is richly rewarded. As we descended deeper into the forest, the trees became increasingly ancient and enormous. Some were so large that several of us could have stood around their trunks holding hands and to encircle them. Their crowns disappeared high above us, almost into the sky. Binoculars were needed to properly examine the leaves and appreciate the scale of these magnificent trees. Standing beneath them, one cannot help feeling humbled by their age and by the many generations of life they have witnessed.
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| Harpephyllum caffrum ANACARDIACEAE |
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| Margaritaria discoidea PHYLLANTHACEAE |
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| Protorhus longifolia ANACARDIACEAE |
Eventually we ventured out onto the other side of the grassland, where Anemone afra was flowering. Its petals were an almost luminous white — so pure and striking against the surrounding vegetation that they seemed to glow.
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| Knowlotnia afra/Anemone afra |
The grassland produced yet more botanical delights, including Rotheca hirsuta, Leobordea pulchra, Lotononis bachmanniana and Raphionacme galpinii, to name only a few.
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| Rotheca hirsuta LAMIACEAE |
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| Leobordea pulchra FABACEAE |
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| Raphionacme galpinii APOCYNACEAE |
Along the forest edge, Protorhus longifolia, Putterlickia retrospinosa and Polygala gazensis were flowering. Polygala gazensis was particularly attractive, with flowers occurring in both magenta and white forms.
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| Protorhus longifolia ANACARDIACEAE |
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| Putterlickia retrospinosa CELASTRACEAE Near Threatened B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) South African endemic |
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| Polygala gazensis POLYGALACEAE South African endemic |
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| Maytenus acuminata var. acuminata CELASTRACEAE |
As the front began to set in, we slowly meandered back up the hill towards the Jimnys. Our hearts were full.
It had been an extraordinary day of botanising. We had covered considerable ground and, most importantly, experienced several very different habitats — forest, forest margins and two areas of grassland. Each had offered something different, and spring had ensured that the vegetation was flowering profusely.
There is something deeply satisfying about ending a day in the veld tired, sunburnt and sticky. We all looked like we had had a lot of fun.
The Umtamvuna had once again reminded us that botanical riches do not always require a journey to far-off destinations. Sometimes the greatest treasures are right on our doorstep, waiting for us to slow down, look carefully and appreciate them.
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| Pondoland CREW (Appologies for the un-focused photo) Hillary Henderson, Dorothy McInytire, Maggie Abbott, Tracy Taylor, Gail Bowers-Winters, Uschi Teicher and Anne Skelton. |
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