Flowering now (May 2016)

Agathosma ovata

Aloe arborescens

Aloe maculata

Angraecum pusilum

Aspalathus gerrardii 

Athrixia phylicoides

Barleria obtusa

Brachylaena glabra

Cassine peragua

Clivia robusta

Crassula pellucida

Crassula perforata

Crassula sarmentosa var sarmentosa

Cryptocarya wyliei fruits

Cuscuta campestri

Cyrtanthus breviflorus

Cyrtanthus contractus

Dicliptera clinopodia

Disa tripetaloides

Ekebergia pterophylla fruits

Erianthemum dregei

The first of the Erythrina lysistemon flowers are appearing.
Soon we will have an avenue of these trees in flower.

Gazania krebsiana

Genlisea hispidula

Helichrysum lepidissimum

Helichrysum natalitium

Helichrysum subglomeratum

Kalanchoe thyrsiflora

Lopholaena dregeana

Monopsis unidentata

Phylica natalensis

Phylica paniculata fruits

Pterocelastrus echinatus fruit

Utricularia prehensilis

Watsonia pillansii

Autumn amble on the Western Heights

As there were several plants we wanted to check up on we decided to return to some locations on the Western Heights. We were pleased to see on our arrival at the reserve gate that a start had been made on the management burns. Not unexpectedly, the fires had stimulated flowering from Cyrtanthus breviflorus and Gerbera natalensis, the latter sporting their woolly winter pajamas.

Cyrtanthus breviflorus

Gerbera natalensis

At this time last year a Scolopia mundii in a forested gully was full of orange fruits but this year there was no sign of fruit. 
 

Scolopia mundii in 2015

Nearby we found Eugenia verdoorniae and Eugenia umtamvunensis, both appearing to have only modest degrees of rust infestation. On an east-facing part of the cliffs we found Mystroxylon aethiopicum with several bright red fruits and close by there was a cluster of Erianthemum dregei flowers.

Mystroxylon aethiopicum

Erianthemum dregei

After a brief look in the gully to see if the Angraecum pusillum were flowering - they were - we headed across the stream and around a buttress and found a rather large cave to check for rock art (which required a bit of a scramble) - again no luck.

Scrambling across to the cave

The group with Anne climbing Tietiesberg in the background

Above these cliffs we found a small patch of very bright crimson Erica cerinthoides - a bit of a contrast to the normal orange colored flowers.

Leaving here we drove across to Iron Crown to see if there were more Erica cerinthoides flowering but unfortunately there were few flowers and these were only found after a rigorous search. On the way back we stopped to look at a small wetland - on the nearby rocks were clusters of Rhipsalis baccifera covered in fruit. The rocks themselves sculpted rugged silhouettes against the sky.

Weathered rocks

Rhipsalis baccifera - our only indigenous cactus

In the open grassland on the way back we found a small cluster of Aspalathus gerrardii, some in flower.

Aspalathus gerrardii

Participants: Anne S, Dorothy M, Graham G, Kate G, Uschi T.

Caputia conundrums on the Umzimkulwana cliffs

One of our CREW target species is the Critically Rare succulent Caputia oribiensis which was described from collections made near the Oribi Gorge Hotel. We looked for this cremnophylous species along a different section of these cliffs last year but we failed to find it, probably because we visited well after the reported flowering period. This year we decided to try much earlier, and on last Thursday, started looking along the cliff edges near the hotel.

The closely related cremnophyte, Caputia medley-woodii was common and obvious on the cliff edges with its bright yellow flowers. The important characters that distinguish this species from C. oribiensis are the teeth on the upper portion of the leaves, the felted upper and lower surfaces of the leaves, and the flower buds which are held upright.

Caputia medley-woodii

While we saw several other interesting plants along these edges there was no sign of Caputia oribiensis. There was a Gymnosporia nemorosa covered in flowers, and clambering through a nearby shrub, Sarcostemma viminale, also in flower. Not far away we found a plant which looks very similar to Sarcostemma viminale when not in flower, Cynanchum gerrardii.

Gymnosporia nemorosa

Sarcostemma viminale

Cynanchum gerrardii

The views down into the Umzimkulwana gorge from here are certainly spectacular, and further on there is an overhanging rock.

A horseshoe bend in the Umzimkulwana river

The overhanging rock with the "Mind the Edge" sign

We did not manage to find anything resembling Caputia oribiensis along this section of the cliffs and, as the vegetation behind the cliffs is badly degraded by alien invasive species it is a bit depressing, so we decided to try another section of the cliffs. Here we immediately found a Gymnosporia glaucophylla covered in white flowers.

Gymnosporia glaucophylla

A little further growing just below the cliff edges we found the Near Threatened endemic Rhynchocalyx lawsonioides in fruit and the fairly unusual Seemannaralia gerrardii with clusters of yellow-green flowers.

Rhynchocalyx lawsonioides

Seemannaralia gerrardii

There were many succulents on and under the rocks along the cliffs. Crassulaceae were well represented, amonst others Crassula obovata, Crassula orbiculata, Crassula perforata var brachypetala, and Crassula perforata var perforata, Cotyledon orbiculata and Cotyledon velutina and Kalanchoe rotundifolia.

Cotyledon velutina

Crassula orbicularis

We finally came across a plant which might be Caputia oribiensis but this awaits specialist confirmation. Apart from this find, the walk concluded on a high note and the last section of cliffs visited are in a much better condition with few if any alien invasives.

Update: 5 May 2016
The plant suspected to be our target species, Caputia oribiensis, unfortunately turned out to be an atypical Kleinia fulgens - so the search goes on!

Participants: Anne S, Dorothy M, Graham G, Kate G, Uschi T.