Edible and Delicious

Outramps CREW Diaries
Tuesday
17th September 2019
Hope has two beautiful daughters: their names are Anger and Courage.
Anger at the way things are and Courage to see that they don’t remain as they are
St Augustine
ALBUM 17th September 2019
For captions or info click on i on the top right-hand side. A good way to go - the slideshow is found at the top of the page on the rt hand side by clicking on the 3 dots. Featured today – Gourikwa and Gouritsmond, Brandberg in Namibia, Meet and Greet, Ruigtevlei Plantations and Out and About in the Southern Cape.

For names and captions of the photos used on this version of the Diaries - see the Album.

For earlier versions of the Outramps CREW Diaries

https://us17.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=be2accf3de565e1297257f79e&id=8113ba68c6

Gourikwa
It was both a disappointing and exciting day at Gourikwa. Once again, there was no sign of Erica baueri subsp. gouriquae (Critically Endangered) in flower on the northern side. Without the flowers it is impossible for us to find the plants. The question, "Have they completely disappeared, or is the non-flowering the result of the continuing drought"? It has us stumped and very disappointed.

As for the excitement, we could have done without that too. Happily ambling along a track thart runs parallel to the road between Gouritsmond and Still Bay, we came across some beehives. The inhabitants were having none of us on their territory and attacked fiercely. Fortunately, we managed to evade the worst and liberal doses of Celestamine were administered to those who had been stung, We were pretty anxious, as two of the party are known to be allergic to bees. But there were no major ill-effects, probably because of the speed with which they swallowed the pills. The incident did cause some amusement, as Nicky and Jen showed a distinct tendency to fall asleep for most of the rest of the day.

On the basis of, “Discretion is the better part of valour”, we beat a hasty retreat.

P.S. to the bee saga: Sandra reprimanded Nicky, "What do you expect when you dress as a Bietou bush in flower - with NO reward to the bees?" Her rebuttal, "But I get into trouble with Di when I blend in...."

Gouritsmond
Having been chased away by the bees at Gourikwa, we still had some time to spare for more botanising.

There is a trail that has been laid out on the north-western side of the Gouritsmond village. It has numbered plants that coincide with an attractive pamphlet that gives the names. Considering the dry conditions, a surprising number of plants were in flower. These were the specimens that occasioned the most Oohs and Ahs:
An incredibly floriferous Polygala myrtifolia
Falkia repens in pale pink and white
Lime-green Manulea - possibly tomentosa
Crassula ciliata
Gnidia squarrosa
A stunning Podalyria with large, cream flowers and dark-green leaves
And the most unlikely of all - a couple of stunning Gladiolus grandiflorus, looking a little out of place in the dry, coastal Fynbos.

tanniedi

Brandberg in Namibia
A group of eight of us climbed the Brandberg in north-west Namibia in early June - a mixture of explorationists, rock-climbers and eager teenagers. It's a tough three-day haul to the peak and back, made even tougher as you have to carry a lot of water.

Brandberg is a steep-sided granite pluton that intruded around the time that Gondwanaland was breaking up and South America deserted Africa and set sail for the west - 150 million years ago.

Namibia is in the grip of a vicious drought and the dry weather meant that the mountain-top plants weren't at their best. However, the San and Damara rock art is fantastic - Brandberg is a world heritage site with the highest concentration of rock art in the world, with over a 1000 known locations. There is also an extremely healthy population of leopards atop the mountain feeding on fat little dassies.

Interesting plants seen include:
Euphorbia monteiroi brandbergensis
Welwitschia mirabilis
Nasaea luderitzii
Heliophila minima (large range extension)

Dave

Ruigtevlei Plantations
I hope that you have picked up the significance of the rather "bont" Diary title, Edible and Delicious. Carpobrotus edulis and deliciosus were the most common flowering plants on the day making a stunning show of bright yellow and magenta. Also adding lilac to a rather drab landscape was Selago burchellii (Vulnerable). Every now and then, we spotted Leucospermum cuneiforme, gorgeous in yellow and orange. The occasional flower on Ruschia duthiae (Vulnerable) caused some excitement, particularly as it was a first sighting for me.

I mentioned a rather drab landscape. This is because large tracts of this plantation land have been sprayed with Glyphosate. What with Pines, fire, tree-felling, replanting and spray, the Fynbos must be thinking "If it's not one thing, then it's another." Fortunately there are lots of areas that have escaped, particularly on the north-facing slopes. Hopefully, the rain (when it eventually arrives) will revitalise the Fynbos. We were very pleased to see that the occasional Dioscorea burchellii (Vulnerable) has survived the onslaught.

The last time we walked around the vlei, the grass that inhabits the whole vlei-area was beige and gold. This time it was bright green. On both occasions there didn't seem to be any water in the vlei. Is that because of the drought, or is it always like that - an intriguing question?

tanniedi

Meet and Greet
My Mondays are usually dominated by rather boring grocery-shopping sorties. It made a very agreeable change to go hiking instead. Jo-Anne King is the local Branch Chairman of the Botanical Society of South Africa and she had organised for us to meet the new CEO of BotSoc, Antonia Xaba. Toni had asked to do a short hike with the Outramps, followed by lunch. BotSoc. is the main funder of SANBI's CREW Volunteer Programme.

When in doubt, a safe choice is always Dune Molerat. So we did a shortened version, taking in the Swartvlei Lookout and avoiding the eastern water-logged section. Nobody was keen to wade into waist-deep, muddy water. We're definitely getting soft!

Cullumia carlinoides (Near Threatened) was over its best, but Erica formosa was making a beautiful Spring show. There is some debate about the id of a Hyobanche that we saw on a track off the main hiking trail, but the jury on iNat is still out on the species name. We were very pleased to see Lebeckia gracilis (Endangered) in flower.

And then we were off to Pomodoros in Wilderness for lunch, which was very much enjoyed. Toni is a real livewire and we think that the future of our beloved BotSoc. is in very capable hands. Thanks Toni for making the time to meet some of the members of the Outramps CREW Group. Altogether a very pleasant way to spend a Monday. I could just become accustomed to it.
tanniedi

Out and About in the Southern Cape

Herolds Bay
Metalasia muricata, Freesia leichtlinii subsp. alba (Near Threatened) and Cullumia carlinoides (Near Threatened) were the dominating flowering plants on Wednesday with WAGS. However for me, the tiny, delicate Euchaetis albertiniana (Endangered) was the star of the show. Huge waves pounded the jagged coastline and a cloudy sky gave promise of rain that never came.

Gericke's Punt
Again, it was an overcast and ominous sky on Wednesday with WAGS. We walked to Gerickes Punt and beyond, with a quick sortie up the Sphinx en route. And this time, there was a light drizzle as we got back to the carpark. Gladiolus cunonius and some rather bedraggled Felicia echinata were about the only plants in flower. By the time we got home, the rain had stopped. We can only hope that there is more to come.

tanniedi

Hartenbos Heuwels – 1 September
A chance find of a Watsonia last year at Hartenbos Heuwels, where I only saw one plant, was a bit of a puzzle for me. I gave it a very tentative id of Watsonia aletroides (NT). It is a pink colour form and could even be a hybrid with Watsonia laccata. There had been a fire since the earlier visit and I was hoping to find it again. Babiana fourcadei, literally all over, was a delight and I was chuffed to find a small population of the pink Watsonia aletroides. They still puzzle me and I asked Sally to bear them in mind for MSB purposes.

Danabaai’s Painted Ladies – 31 August
Vincent Surics of Danabaai invited me to visit an open space in this Mossel Bay suburb to discuss management options for it. The suburb is developing rapidly, with the usual demise of indigenous vegetation. So it was a wonderful surprise to find a couple of Painted Ladies, Gladiolus grandiflorus, in full flower on the site. Good luck to Vincent and his worthy custodianship.
Sandra in Mossel Bay

Field Trips
On Friday 20th, SIM will be joining Johan Baard from SANParks to check on Gasteria barbigera post-fire to the east of Knysna. Johan discovered this Gasteria a few years ago and it has been named after him. It has not yet been assessed for status on the Red List. We have never seen it, so very much looking forward to this adventure. The Ballots Bay residents have asked us to do a plant survey on Friday 27th.
Hamba Kahle
Groete en dankie
Di Turner
Outramps CREW Group
South Africa

All id’s subject to confirmation by Doc AnneLise and Jan Vlok, Steven Molteno, Dr Tony Rebelo, Nick Helme, Prof Charlie Stirton, Dr Robert Archer, Dr Robert McKenzie, Dr Ted Oliver, Dr Christopher Whitehouse, Adriaan Grobler, Prix Burgoyne, Dr Kenneth Oberlander, Dr Pieter Winter, Dr David Gwynne-Evans, Malthinus and Mattmatt on iNat. Thank you all for your ongoing help and support.

Outramps Places on iNaturalist – You can browse through the observations or refer to the checklist which is in alphabetical order eg. Animals, birds etc.

Outramps CREW Stellenbosch HAT node
Jonkershoek created by Vynbos - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/jonkershoek-cv
Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mont-rochelle-nature-reserve
Papegaaiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/papegaaiberg

Outramps Projects on iNaturalist

Outramps CREW Group - all postings
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/outramps-crew-group
Ericas of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ericas-of-the-southern-cape
Fungi of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fungi-of-the-southern-cape
Geraniaceae of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/geraniaceae-of-the-southern-cape-of-south-africa
Lianes and Creepers in the Southern Cape and Little Karoo - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lianes-and-creepers-of-the-southern-cape-and-little-karoo
Veg Types of South Africa (Tony Rebelo)- https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/vegetation-types-of-south-africa
Flowers of the High Drakensberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/flowers-of-the-high-kzn-drakensberg

Outramps CREW Group - iNaturalist stats
57,770 OBSERVATIONS
8,242 SPECIES

(Updated Monthly)

Abbreviations Glossary

MCSA – Mountain Club of South Africa
MSB - Millenium Seed Bank based at Kew in the UK
WIP – Work in Progress
HAT – High Altitude Team
LOT – Lowland Team
SIM – Somewhere in the Middle Team
WAGS – Wednesday Adventure Group
VB – Vlok Boekie “Plants of the Klein Karoo” and our Plant Bible
ITRTOL – Another thread “In The Rich Tapestry Of Life”(It describes a challenging situation, usually to do with the Buchu Bus)
ITFOT – In the fullness of time
WOESS – Fair Weather Hiker
FMC and JW – too vulgar to translate, but the equivalent is “Strike me Dead” - An expression of surprise and delight on finding a new “Rare”
Kambro – same as above
Fossick – A meter per minute, scratching around looking for rares
SIDB – Skrop in die Bos – Another name for a field trip, this one coined by Prix
BAFFING – Running round like a blue-arsed fly
SYT – Sweet Young Thing - Anyone under the age of 40
TOMB – Get a move on
Mayhem - Needless or willful damage or violence
SESKRYNG – “Sit en staan kry niks gedaan” ,with thanks to Brian
SOS – Skelms on Scramblers
FW – Idiot
BOB – Another name for the Buchu Bus when she’s misbehaving.
CRAFT – A symptom of Old Age
DDD - Metalasia tricolor (Damned Diabolical Daisy)
VP – Vrekplek – Retirement Village
Qàq – Self-explanatory Inuit word describing some of our local problems
Mr Fab – Our Fabaceae specialist, Brian Du Preez – originally Boy 1
Muisvoel -The Mathematician – Peter Thompson
Boy 2 – Kyle Underwood who works on Orchids and is still at school
Sharkie – Finn Rautenbach – Our latest SYT is a surfer in his spare time and is now the Curator of the Garden Route Botanical Garden
Sicko – Someone who suffers from Car Sickness. With 4 in the Group, allocating seating in the Buchu Bus is tricky
VAG – Virgin Active Garage, which is our meeting place when we head north
MATMUE – Meet At The Mall Under E - Meeting place when we head West
WG – Waves Garage in Wilderness East. - Meeting place when we’re going east.
VU- Vulnerable
DDT – Data Deficient and Taxonomically ?
NT – Near Threatened
EN – Endangered
CR – Critically Endangered
PE – Presumed extinct
LC – Least Concern
TBC – To be Confirmed
TLC – Tender loving care
JMS – An expression of absolute disdain
FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
Milk – the fruit of the vine
Condensed Milk – Scotland’s finest export
Full Cream Milk or Fat Milk – Any product of Humulus lupulus eg. Milk Stout
Milk of the Gods – Rooibos and Brandy
Milk Shake - Sparkling Wine
NS – Species of conservation concern new to the Outramps
PS -Priority Species allocated to the Outramps by our CREW Cape Co-ordinator , Ismail Ebrahim
iNatFD – iNaturalist for Dummies as compiled by Sally
Mizzle – Mist and drizzle combined. A regular feature of George in the ”good old days”.
FE – Fire Ephemeral – only appears immediately or after a couple of years after fire
Squirrel – aka President Ramaphosa
WOG – Wrath of God – eg. incurred when you put a young Pine tree on iNat as Leucadendron album
Skedonk - A banger - old, battered motor car more than 30 years old
Hoedown - redneck gathering, usually involves shouting catchy phrases like "yee-haw" and "the south will rise again"
VHF - Vat Hom Fluffie - our nickname for furry or woolly plants
SA - Stay Attractive is Google's translation of "Mooi Bly"
OTL - Out To Lunch is used to describe the Buchu Bus when she's taking a break after she's behaved badly
DFKIAA - A very funny video in Afrikaans is doing the rounds. It refers to the recent power outages.
Walkie Talkies - Botanical walks that include more talking than walking

Posted on September 17, 2019 04:02 AM by

outramps-tanniedi

Edible and Delicious

https://us17.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=be2accf3de565e1297257f79e&id=8113ba68c6

tanniedi

Dave

tanniedi

tanniedi

(Updated Monthly)

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