Back to the Western Heights and Foster's Folly (Thursday 9 February)

In view of last week's discovery of a previously unknown locality for the Rare endemic Emplectanthus dalzellii, we decided to return to this small forested gorge on the Swamp Forest stream to see if we could find more plants of this species.

Leaving our bags behind to scramble through the forest understorey, we worked our way downstream to a beautiful pool, with the rocky cliff faces framing the open grassland beyond.

The tranquil pool above the forested gorge

The pool at the Emplectanthus site

Anne quickly pointed out the specimen they had found the previous week. This plant was climbing up a small Podocarpus latifolius with its roots between rocks in the stream bed. We soon found several other plants, scattered around in the stream bed. These plants undoubtedly will be under water when the river is in flood but their subsurface parts appear to be well protected between the rocks. It was interesting to note that while the plants we know from the Swamp Forest have flowers in shades of wine-red, some of the flowers of this new subpopulation have much paler, buff to yellow flowers, reminiscent of those of Emplectanthus gerrardii which we have found at higher altitude at Ngele.

This prompted me to check the differences between the flowers of these two species of Emplectanthus. Fortunately, the differences are very evident, even before comparing the leaf shape and venation, which, again, are very different.

A partially open flower of Emplectanthus dalzellii from the Swamp Forest

Emplectanthus dalzellii from new site

Emplectanthus gerrardii from Ngele

We returned to the rocks at the start of the forested section to enjoy our lunch. There were several flowers growing in the seeps flowing down the rocks at the side of the stream: Anthospermum herbaceum, Disa tripetaloides, Monopsis unidentata and Utricularia sandersonii.

Anthospermum herbaceum

Monopsis unidentata

Anne contemplating having a lunch-time swim

After lunch, we climbed our of the narrow valley and headed for Foster's Folly - so named when Dick Foster, an aviator, had an attack of vertigo as they were climbing the steep slope up from the Umtamvuna River below.

On the rocks here we found Anthosermum hispidulum as well as several Plectranthus ernstii in flower.

Anthospermum hispidulum

Plectranthus ernstii

Apart from the fabulous view down into the Umtamvuna, we were surprised to see a Syzygium pondoense growing in an atypical habitat at the top of the cliffs, not far from a flowering Homalium rufescens.

Syzygium pondoense

Homalium rufescens

On the way back to the vehicle we came across several Indigastrum fastigiatum and Indigofera abbottii.

Indigastrum fastigiatum

Indigofera abbottii

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