Pondoland C.R.E.W. Blog: Into the Cool

Once again Thursday morning found us drawn to the deep, ancient shade of Smedmore Forest within the beautiful Umtamvuna Nature Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal. Alf, Anne, Gail, Hilary, Maggie, Uschi, and I set out together, driving to the edge and parking before sipping tea and pecan pies—thank you, Uschi!—we decided that we would enter the forest via Atalaya pass.

We had not ventured down this way for quite some time, and we were excited and apprehensive. You have all heard of the saying, "The early bird catches the worm." Well, for us, it’s the early botanist catches the bloom, so, not wanting to miss a thing, we headed for the scarp forest along the edge of the sandstone cliffs. Our first tree of the day was Combretum kraussii (Forest Bushwillow), right on the sandstone edge. Finding it in full flower was a true treat; the tight clusters of creamy white filaments surrounding the deep maroon centers were incredible. This tree belongs to the family Combretaceae. The specific epithet kraussii honors the German naturalist Dr. Ferdinand von Krauss, who collected extensively in South Africa between 1838 and 1840.

Combretum kraussii

Wafting on the breeze was the most delicate scent that led us straight to the next tree, which was Homalium rufescens (Small-leaved Brown-Ironwood). This find caused quite a stir; there was a collective murmur of delight as deep breaths of the exquisite fragrance were thoroughly enjoyed. The densely packed, delicate cream-colored starbursts were a beautiful sight, showing off clusters of small flowers with many long, protruding stamens. This tree belongs to the family Salicaceae. Looking closer at the flowers and the leaves, you can see exactly where the names come from; for example, Homalium comes from the Greek word homalos, meaning "even" or "regular," which describes how the stamens are perfectly and evenly divided into regular clusters. The main flowering season spans from spring into early summer, though trees can bloom sporadically year-round.

Homalium rufescens

Reaching for the sky was Secamone filiformis. Twining tightly around the weathered wood of an old, dead tree branch, it formed a wild, green tangle that silhouetted beautifully against the clear blue sky. It had the beginnings of small buds developing along the slender stems. This scrambler belongs to the family Apocynaceae. Its durable vines are traditionally used as a strong natural cordage.

Secamone filiformis

Schrebera alata (Winged-leaved Wooden-pear), with its trumpet-shaped, waxy white-to-pink flowers putting on a beautiful show, drawing us in closer to appreciate the stunning, conspicuous patches of swollen, dark reddish-brown hairs nestled right at the base of the petals. These unique patches of swollen hairs act as functional nectar guides and filters, securing the scent and ensuring only effective pollinators like hawkmoths can access the nectar. It belongs to the family Oleaceae. It is well-known for its glossy, mirror-like compound leaves that feature a distinctive, narrowly winged petiole and rachis. Schrebera honours the German naturalist Johann Schreber, and alata translates to "winged" in reference to the leaf structure.

Schrebera alata

Adding to our list of cliffside gems was Grewia occidentalis (Cross-berry). Its bright pinkish-mauve flowers stood out beautifully against the foliage, showing off a dense central cluster of golden-yellow stamens. This scrambling shrub belongs to the family Malvaceae. The thin-textured, lanceolate-ovate leaves—with their distinctive three veins from the base and clearly serrated margins—confirmed the identification. Looking closer at the flower structure, the pink sepals and true petals are virtually the same length and width, creating the classic, perfectly symmetrical ten-pointed "double star" layout that defines this widespread species.

Grewia occidentalis

Anne was excited to see Ochna arborea (Cape Redwood), with its shiny leaves and warm orange-red calyxes curled back to show off the juicy red receptacles bearing large, grey-mauve seeds. This striking tree belongs to the family Ochnaceae. Being on the top of the ridge gave us access to the canopy, enabling us to see the flowers of these trees that would otherwise be beyond our reach.

Ochna arborea

Looking for some shade, I climbed into a small piece of forest on the edge. There in the shade, I found Streptocarpus polyanthus. Their crinkly, slightly succulent-like leaves lay flat against the ground. A single stalk rises from the leaf to produce bright violet trumpet-shaped flowers. This delicate herb belongs to the family Gesneriaceae. The nominal subspecies native to this area, subsp. polyanthus, is unique for its stemless growth habit where individual leaves function as independent units; once a leaf finishes its flowering and seeding cycle, it undergoes complete senescence and dies, leaving new basal modules to sustain the plant's perennial lifecycle.

Streptocarpus polyanthus subsp. polyanthus

Searsia species are a challenge; they exhibit extreme leaf plasticity, meaning the leaf margins, shapes, and textures can vary wildly on the exact same plant depending on age and environmental factors, and just to add a little more depth, they hybridize. This notoriously tricky genus belongs to the family Anacardiaceae. Some are easier than others and Searsia lucida (Waxy Currant) is one that we see quite often. A dear friend recently reminded me of a quick way to identify Searsia lucida: if you bend the leaf, a distinct waxy lines appears. We have been known to look the other way on occasion, though to avoid having to ID them.

Searsia lucida

We also came across a Pachycarpus species. The plant was distinctly covered in short hairs, and its long, slender, lanceolate leaves felt remarkably rough to the touch—strongly suggesting Pachycarpus asperifolius (Ishongwe elibomvu), as asperifolius translates from the Latin to mean "rough-leaved" (from asper for rough and folius for leaf). The developing stems and buds were equally hairy, and the opening bud hinted at a dull yellowish-green flower, though our field ID remained inconclusive. This rough-leaved perennial herb belongs to the family Apocynaceae. Right nearby, we caught a brief glimpse of Schizoglossum atropurpureum subsp. virens, which also belongs to the family Apocynaceae. Growing on the edge in a crack was Senecio chrysocoma, a member of the family Asteraceae. This plant would easily be overlooked because of its weedy appearance, but closer inspection shows an intricately detailed ring of green involucral bracts holding composite heads packed with cream-colored disc florets, topped with protruding yellow anthers and styles.

Pachycarpus species

Schizoglossum atropurpureum subsp. virens

Senecio chrysocoma

Another side quest took us to look at an “Orchid” Gail had seen on the edge. If you leaned against a large rock held in place by some sand and roots, looking to the left, above the Agapanthus... you get the picture. At this point Hilary’s binoculars were passed along to see the “Orchid”. Needless to say, the conversation after that was about eyesight and glasses. Good friends and lots of laughs.

An "Orchid" perhaps?

Finally, we had reached the beginning of Atalaya pass. Maggie was staying at the top, finding a rock to rest on, she would meet us back at the Jimnys. As we made our way through the tangled undergrowth, we spotted the leaves of Rhoicissus digitata (Baboon Grape). We admired the five-fingered leaves showing off different shades of green. This vigorous, woody forest climber belongs to the family Vitaceae. The specific epithet digitata accurately describes these hand-like, digitately compound leaflets.

Rhoicissus digitata

It was not easy negotiating our way down the pass as it was completely overgrown. Smilax and bramble snaked across our path hindering our every step; it was slow going down the steep pass. Then we saw it! Strophanthus speciosus (Forest Poison-rope), its unique clusters of orange and red flowers standing out like solar flares in the shadows of the forest. This extraordinary, multi-branched scrambling woody climber belongs to the family Apocynaceae. While we admired its breathtaking visual display, the plant carries a much darker history; its highly toxic seeds and milky latex are used to manufacture potent poisons for hunting. This lethality comes from powerful cardiac glycosides, including strophanthin, which can cause severe vomiting, vision disturbances, and fatal heart failure if ingested unsupervised. Paradoxically, in carefully controlled, highly refined medical dosages, these exact same compounds act as a vital cardiac stimulant to treat severe heart conditions. Even with its dangerous properties, it holds an important place in local traditional medicine, where the roots are carefully prepared, and administered as a remedy for snakebites in both humans and livestock. The day was turning out to be absolutely fabulous.

Strophanthus speciosus

Giant trees and boulders, bathed in green

Climbing down over fallen trees and ducking under vines, we had reached the bottom quite hungry, where each of us chose a rock to sit on scattered across the forest floor. Down there, we felt completely at home among the plants and moss-covered rocks, carpets of decaying leaves beneath our feet. We finished our lunch and began making our way through the understory, it wasn’t too long before we ran into Oncinotis tenuiloba (Magic-rope). This robust woody climber belongs to the family Apocynaceae. We see the vines often, recognizing its interesting bark immediately, green with cream coloured lenticels; so when we first saw the vibrant green leaves with beautiful looping veins and swathes of lime green stars we were completely confounded—excited, but confounded. What could it be? Thank goodness Uschi had her list and a quick look revealed the name to us, making us realize how wonderful it is that we can still see firsts.

Gail sitting in a living cathedral

Oncinotis tenuiloba

A small shrub we see in the understory is Excoecaria simii (Forest Pepper-seed), belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. The specific epithet simii honors the prominent South African botanist and forest conservator Thomas Robertson Sim. As with many members of this family, the plant produces a characteristic milky, highly irritant sap, and its small fruits are uniquely held within cup-like bracts along the flowering spikes. Finding it with both flowers and fruit at the same time was a marvellous bonus. In previous weeks we had seen Rinorea angustifolia subsp. natalensis (Narrow-leaved Violet-bush) in flower, but on this day we encountered it in fruit. The distinctive globose fruits hung gracefully on slender stalks, their smooth green skins mottled with warm, reddish-pink, and topped by a sharp, persistent point left from the old style branch. This evergreen understory species belongs to the family Violaceae.

Excoecaria simii

Some people collect stamps, Hilary collects tree hugs

Rinorea angustifolia subsp. natalensis

Lacewing Larva

Time was marching on and we were still finding our way through the forest. We spent our energy navigating over and in between large boulders that had broken free and tumbled down from the sandstone cliffs above, all while majestic, giant trees towered above us like sentient guardians of the deep shade, their ancient canopy filtering the sunlight far overhead. While we were making our way, Anne spotted the very attractive leaves of Laportea grossa. Beautiful but not friendly, as it is covered in stinging hairs (trichomes) that release an irritating fluid when brushed against. Gradually together, making sure everyone was okay, we climbed up massive boulders and slid down wet, moss-covered rock faces as we followed the cliff face. It was heartwarming to watch how the group looked out for each other. As we found the trail and the walking became easier, we realized that we had completely circled back and had to walk back to the Jimnys along the road, where we were so happy to see Maggie waiting safely for us. What a day! Tired, dirty, and happy is how Thursdays should always end.