Sunday, 8 October 2017

A wet day: herbarium work and a short walk (Thursday 5 October 2017)

Plans to walk in the Red Desert Nature Reserve had to be shelved when the predicted rain materialised and so it was only a small group that went to the Umtamvuna reserve to continue re-arranging the voucher collection in the HNTA herbarium at Beacon Hill.

We made good progress with re-naming and moving vouchers around into new families and by lunch time we had reached the last cabinet where we called it a day. By that stage the weather had cleared a little although it was still heavily overcast.

Suitably equipped, we walked in a south-easterly direction. It was not long before we came across a good display of Disa stachyoides poking out above the grass, accompanied by the occasional Disa versicolor. On the rocks we saw the first Cyrtorchis arcuata in bloom.


Disa stachyoides

Disa versicolor

Cyrtorchis arcuata
We walked on past a patch of Satyrium longicauda and reached the wetland just before the stream. By this stage most of the Merwilla plumbea flowers were over but there were still a few Disa similis and more Satyrium longicauda amongst a host of bright yellow Senecio brevidentatus.

Starting up the next slope we soon came across a Boophone disticia coming into flower and standing out against the green grass.
Boophone disticia


Senecio brevidentatus
 About halfway up the hill we saw the first Silene burchellii, these flowers being fully open and enjoying the overcast, damp conditions.


Silene burchellii

Down into the next wetland there was a good showing of the Vulnerable, narrow-endemic Watsonia bachmannii, as well as two Cyperaceae species that require some work to get identified to species level.

Watsonia bachmannii

By then the weather was starting to close in again so we turned back and headed to the office via Ingrid's Falls - not at its best as the stream was flowing with rather muddy water, thanks to some clearing work being done upstream outside the reserve.



Like phantoms in the mist - near Ingrid's Falls
Patrticipants: Anne S, Graham G, Kate G.

Monday, 2 October 2017

Flowering now (October 2017)

It should be noted that these "Flowering now" posts are dealt with incrementally, i.e. new species are added as they are seen each month so readers will not necessarily see all species for the month with a single visit to that post. Also note that we try to avoid including species seen in the previous month, unless the species is particularly notable.

Acalapha peduncularis

Acalapha vilicaulis

Acalypha wilmsii

Afroaster perfoliatus

Ajuga ophridis 

Aneilema aequinoctiale
 
Anemone brevistylis
   
Apodytes abbottii

Argyrolobium amplexicaule
 
Argyrolobium rotundifolium


Asclepias cuculata

Aspidoglossum gracilis

Aspidonepsis flava

Basananthe sandersonii

Berkheya macrocephala

Bersama swinnyi

Caesia contorta

Calodendrum capense

Canthium ciliatum

Canthium inerme

Ceropegia linearis

Cnestis polyphylla

Combretum bracteosum

Combretum kraussii

Crassula virgata

Cryptocarya latifolia

Cyanotis speciosa

Cyrtanthus contractus

Delosperma subpetiolatum

Diclis reptans

Dierama reynoldsii

Dioscorea cotinifolia

Diospyros lycioides

Disa brevicornis

Disa saggitalis

Dodonea viscosa

Dovyalis caffra

Ekebergia capensis

Eriocaulon dregei

Eriosema distinctum

Eriosema populifolium

Eucomis autumnalis

Excoecaria simii

Gerbera ambigua (yellow form)

Gerbera piloselloides (two colour forma)

Geum capensis

Gnidia baurii

Gomphocarpus physocarpus 

Grewia occidentalis

Gymnosporia vanwykii

Harveya pauciflora

Helichrysum spiralepis

Helichrysum vernum

Heliophila rigidiuscula

Hibiscus aethiopicus

Hybanthis enneaspermis

Hypericum aethiopicum

Hypoxis colchicifolia

Hypoxis flanaganii

Hypoxis membranaceus

Hypoxis parvula var. albiflora

Ipomoea simplex

Kiggelaria africana

Kniphofia baurii

Kniphofia laxiflora

Lasiosiphon triplinervis

Leobordea corymbosa

Leonotis leonurus

Linum thunbergii

Leucadendron spissifolium subsp. oribinum (m)

Leucadendron spissifolium subsp. oribinum (f)

Lithospermum papillosum

Lotus discolor

Monopsis descipiens

Moraea brevistyla

Nemesia caerulea

Nymphoides thunbergiana

Ophrestia oblongifolia

Pachycarpus plicatus

Peddiea africana fruits

Pelargonium schlechteri

Pittosporum viridiflorum

Plectranthus oertendahlii

Plectranthus zuluensis

Polygala refracta

Raphionacme hirsuta

Rhodohypoxis baurii

Rhoicissus tomentosa

Rhynchosia cooperi

Rhynchosia villosa

Rinorea domatiosa

Satyrium rhodanthum

Schizoglossum cordifolium

Searsia rudatisii

Senecio brevidentatus

Silene burchellii

Sisyranthus imberbis

Sisyranthus virgatus

Stachys nigricans

Strelitzia nicolai

Streptocarpus haygarthii

Striga bilabiata

Strophanthus speciosus

Tabernaemontana ventricosa

Trimeria grandiflora

Tritonia disticia

Tulbaghia leucantha

Turraea floribunda

Utricularia livida

Watsonia bachmannii

Watsonia densiflora

Watsonia inclinata

Xysmalobium gerrardii

Zantedescia aethiopica