Sunday, January 11, 2015

A few flowers from Sentinel/Witzieshoek, January 9 and 10, 2015


The following pictures were taken the last two days on the Denver Botanic Garden sponsored trip to the Drakensberg organized by Guillermo Rivera. We have stayed two days at the terrific accommodations at Witzieshoek in the Orange Free State, basking on the northern Slope of Mount-aux-sources, the second highest peak of South Africa. The pictures (unfortunately) are not in order--but give a smattering of what all we have seen: I will be adding more accurate names (and commentary) when I have access to books locked up in our bus this morning!

Mystery Delosperma sp. on road between Witzieshoek and Sentinel parking lot

Wahlenbergia cf. undulata

Xerophyta viscosa

Jamesbrittenia pristisepala

Zaluzianskya sp.

Jamesbrittenia pristisepala

Brunsvigia sp.

Brunsvigia sp.

Berkheya sp.

Kniphofia porphyrantha

Crocosmia pearsei

Harpochloa falx

Shrubby Fabaceae

Crassula setulosa ssp. setulosa

Kniphofia porphyrantha

Helichrysum marginatum

Eucomis autumnalis and Bulbine abyssinica

Erica sp.

Scabiosa sp.

Moraea vigilans 

 Jim Archibald pressed specimens of this at Sentinal on our 1996 trip to South Africa: we gave these specimens to the Compton herbarium, where Peter Goldblatt determined that it was new to science--and gave it the latin name--which implies "sentinel" for the location on the wonderful mountian...

Euphorbia sp.

Diascia sp.

Helichrysum sp. and Rhodohypoxis

Eucomis bicolor

Eucomis autumnalis

Bulbine abyssinica

Hebenstreitia sp.

Geranium cf. drakensbergense

Alepidea sp.

Ranunculus baurii

Helichrysum aureum

Eucomis schifii

Hebenstreitia and Rhodohypoxis

Streptocarpus

Lobelia cf. presleyi

Rhodohypxis baurii, Oxalis obliquifolia and Alepidea sp.

Moraea ?alpina

Albuca ?humilis

Romulea sp.

Crassula setulosa ssp. curta

Crassula setulosa ssp. curta

Helichrysum sutherlandii

Themeda triandra

Parasitic scroph (Sopubia?)

Helichrysum montanum (below) H. sutherlandii (above)

12 comments:

  1. Did you hear that thud?
    Twas me.
    Fell off me chair in a swoon of utter delight ....

    p.s. yeah, you're right - this is a really lousy post because the photos aren't in order & the plant names/descriptions are sorely lacking due to those locked up books. Really, dunno why you bothered!

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  2. Keep 'em coming please, Panayoti …another must visit destination.

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  3. Breathtaking, nice way to wake up today with my morning tea and see all these lovely flowers while school is closed due to bad weather here. Ernie

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  4. WOW!!! Thank you for posting these photos. A great way to start the workday...with plants that are new to me. I'm inspired for the day.

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  5. oooohh! so jealous. Counting on a slideshow someday in a theater near me...

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  6. Thanks so much, Panayoti. NOTHING beats seeing them in habitat, except if I were there!

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  7. Fun trip, worth a thorough read / feast later. A plant w/ a genus "Xerophyta"? Ha, looks quite lush for that! The Harpochloa falx looks like a cross of a Zephyranthes and Bouteloua. That's one green place...their wet season?

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  8. Is South African grassland maintained by fire like Midwestern American ecosystems?

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  9. Great, Panayoti.

    Marek

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  10. I was there a week later, with Elsa Pooley. Indeed a great place to look for indigenous plants. I uploaded a few pics on https://500px.com/herbertfrei

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for posting that, Herbert! Your pictures are simply spectacular: I hope others will click on your URL. Thank you again!

      Delete

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