letting nature back in

Spring in our winter-rainfall area is rich with a huge diversity of wild flowers. We recently revisited the coastal area around the small Danger Point peninsula near Gansbaai in the Overberg, mostly to see the spring flowers that grow along the roadsides and down to the seashore.

Flowering plants growing down to the seashore. Danger Point Lighthouse can be seen on the horizon on the other side of a small bay alongside the peninsula.

There are three shrubland vegetation types in the Fynbos Biome of the Western Cape, and these are true fynbos, renosterveld and strandveld. And within these three categories further subtypes that depend on region and soil type can be identified.

Strandveld usually grows in coastal lowlands and dunes, often in alkaline soils, and it can incorporate thickets. Strandveld does not extend right to the shoreline where the low-growing coastal vegetation is subject to sea spray.

A view from the base of the Danger Point lighthouse of the strandveld where it forms a shrubby thicket

The vegetation at Danger Point is categorised as Overberg Dune Strandveld, which like most strandveld, is associated with alkaline soils and consists of shrublands and coastal thickets.

Along the roadsides where the soil has been disturbed there are many flowering annuals, including from the daisy family. The diversity of plants that occurs in the narrow band between the roadside and the strandveld thicket is quite incredible.

A stand of pink-flowered terrestrial orchids, Satyrium carneum, growing amongst other plants in disturbed sandy ground next to the road

Instead of featuring photos of some of the flowers we saw in a style reminiscent of a field guide, I decided to try “reframing” them so as to see them in a slightly different way.

The above photo was taken on the edge of the tall dense strandveld vegetation that includes brown sage (Salvia africana-lutea) and the yellow-flowered bietou, Osteospermum moniliferum, which is known as the tickberry due to its small berries resembling ticks.

A species of Ixia – delicate in both colour and form – grows in small clusters at the road side.  This plant is no longer upright and sprawls over sideways.

A beautiful blue Heliophila. The name comes from the Greek helios (sun) and philein (to love). Species of Heliophila thrive in sunny positions. The flowers close in the absence of sunshine at night or in cool overcast weather. This plant (above) is possibly Heliophila subulata, known as common sunspurge.

As I am totally smitten by them, I include several photos of Heliophilas. This flower (above) has more delicate notes of blue.

And another Heliophila  – several species occur in the region.

Photographed in fairly harsh sunlight, this Heliophila grows very near the coast. It has plump almost succulent leaves, unlike the others that have very narrow leaves. I think this may be Heliophila linearis var. reticulata, which occurs only in the Gansbaai area (Privett and Lutzeyer, p. 180).

Obviously, this is a member of the daisy family. The orange blooms make a very showy display when growing in massed groupings. I am still trying to learn to distinguish between various daisy genera such as Arctotis, Artotheca and Ursinia!

One of the daisies gone rather decoratively to seed.

Also in the daisy family, a pair of gazania flowers – most likely Gazania pectinata, a species that is pollinated by monkey beetles.  As noted in the field guide to Grootbos Nature Reserve, the brown marking with a white dot at the base of each petal resembles a monkey beetle. The markings are thought to act as decoys to attract male monkey beetles that then pollinate the flower (Privett and Lutzeyer, p. 244).

Growing close enough to the sea to be affected by sea spray were many Dimorphotheca fruticosa in flower.

 

A very tiny, low-growing Moraea setifolia photographed not far from the seashore.

Stubby flower spears of the terrestrial orchid, Satyrium carneum, emerging from the broad, flat leaves. As the spears grow taller the flowers start opening. The leaves can fill with water that is retained and so forms a kind of a moat that prevents ants from reaching the nectar (Privett and Lutzeyer, p. 66).

The flowers of the Satyrium carneum start opening from the bottom of the spear. The flowers are pollinated by sunbirds.

A species of Senecio – this little plant has taken root in the side of a low rock retaining wall on the side of the road. Grains of sand cling to the slightly hairy stems and leaves.

We were lucky to come across a black spiderlily (Ferraria crispa) in flower – not least because each flower remains open for less than a day before drying off and blackening. Also, the plant we came across close to the seashore, was small and could easily be overlooked, so we were fortunate to notice it.

Each flower is spectacular even though they are small, only about 3,5 cm (1.5 inches) across. The edges of the flowers are crinkly and chocolate coloured and the cream petals are speckled. They are carrion-scented to attract their fly pollinators.

And to show the black spiderlily in context – the plant with its succulent leaves and the two open flowers is ringed in yellow in the bottom right-hand corner of the photo.

Sources:

Manning, John. 2018 (2^nd ed.) Field Guide to Fynbos. Cape Town: Struik Nature. ISBN 978-1-77584-590-4; Privett, Sean & Lutazeyer, Heiner, 2010. Field Guide to the Flora of Grootbos Nature Reserve and the Walker Bay Region. [Hermanus]: Grootbos Foundation. ISBN 978-0-620-47805-2; Rebelo, A.G., Boucher, C., Helme, N., Mucina, L., Rutherford et al. 2006, “Fynbos Biome” https://www.researchgate.net › publication › 236896350_Fynbos_Biome (Chapter from book) In: Mucina, L, Rutherford, M.C., Powrie, L. (eds) 2006. The Vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. South African National Biodiversity Institute. ISBN 1919976213, 9781919976211

Posted by Carol