Tritoniopsis lata Sunday Flower Walk

Well, that was the most spectacular flower, and we found only one!

Tritoniopsis lata flower

The whole plant isn't very robust, with a single narrow leaf:

Tritoniopsis lata plant

This left us wondering what we are expecting from these two plants, with very different leaves. With the sun behind, this one has about four distinct parallel ribs, and it's growing from a bulb:

Bulb with four ribs in the leaves

.... and this one which has just one rib in the middle, and it's growing in a fan like an iris:

Iris-type with one rib

In that area, there are Wachendorfias with curved leaves growing close to the ground. They almost reminded us of Welwitschias!

Wachendorfia, growing close to the ground, why? 

Are they Wachendorfia paniculata, or something else which we haven't found before, brought on by the fire?

Another Wachendorfia

As usual, we had to look for colours other than the steady increase of green. Yellow Oxalis:

Yellow Oxalis

Carpets of them in places!

Yellow Oxalis carpet!

Pink also!

 And pink Oxalis!

It was good to see Anka training as usual, both she and the horse must be very fit! She is just passing the stand of Agapanthus walshii which are coming up nicely!

Anka training, riding past Agapanthus walshii

We've never found them in this place before.

These are those Agapanthus walshii

Pippa the archaeologist had a find! Unfortunately not Stone-Age!

Archaeologist finds iron-age axe ;-)

Here's a Daisy which we think is Euryops.

Daisy, is it an Euryops?

I have been taught to photograph the underside of the flower, so here it is. Any ideas? :

Detail of the underside of the Daisy

Here's something coming up strongly after the fire; can't quite place it yet.......

What is this, growing up after the fire?

And who's this, what will it turn into? What can it possibly find to eat? Or is it a wood-borer?

Caterpillar on bark and stump, no greens around!

The Fire Asparagus Asparagus lignosus have berries on them now and the lime green of their leaves has turned duller. The thorns are just as sharp!

Fire Asparagus Asparagus lignosus berries and now dull green leaves

We wondered what this might be, with a fleshy, smooth, almost succulent leaf. Trying to remember what was growing here before the fire, Pippa suggested Othonna quinquedentata, five toothed Baboon Cabbage. Could the 'five teeth' be from the shape of the leaves?

Can this be Othonna quinquedentata? 

I'm not sure if the Ladybird has been eating the leaves of this grass (?) like that?

Ladybird on grass, has it eaten the tips off? 

From the heights, we were puzzled by the look of a train coming past. Part passenger? Phelophela Health Care Train? No, a massive weedkill rig, Contra-Chem.

Contra-Chem weedkill train

We don't expect to see many birds in the burned area, but this one was hopping around quickly, close to the ground, from stump to stump at the very limit of my camera's range, pecking the ground here and there. Looked fat enough! About the size of an Olive Thrush, any ideas?

Could this be a Pipit?

This, outside the farm this morning, was easier to identify! Well, by its old name Gymnogene, anyway. Now African Harrier Hawk Polyboroides typus.

Gymnogene, African Harrier Hawk Polyboroides typus

Yesterday at the Compagnes Drift Watermill the Forest Elder (Bosvlier) Nuxia floribunda is looking spectacular! One visitor asked both Noel and me, separately, if we knew what it was. We both surprised him!

Nuxia floribunda at Compagnes Drift Watermill

Also there, the Pig's Ears Cotyledon obiculata (?) are in flower.

Cotyledon obiculata (?)

Along with this succulent, can anybody name it?

Unknown succulent

And here in the garden, a Granadilla Passiflora ligularis in last week's shower! My wife tells me I'm a big dummy, it's a Clematis! The plants are in a complete tangle there, with this Clematis, the Granadilla, a Hanepoot grape, a climbing rose, a Pandorea jasminoides, and behind, a huge Camellia and a Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow!

Clematis in the garden, after rain

 :-) A

Four 'New' Flowers Sunday Flower Walk

After all last week's hype over Spring being here, we had a windy, wet, very cold week, but it's cleared now and the promises are for fine weather this week, so with the Apples beginning to move, from tomorrow the spray machines will be out in earnest! A Sundowner bud below, just beginning to show some green!

Malus domestica Sundowner bud

We were Milling at Compagnesdrift yesterday and the succulent garden below the Mill Stream is at its best. Is this Aloe reynoldsii?

Aloe reynoldsii?

Flower detail:

Flower detail Aloe reynoldsii ?

Is this Cotyledon pendens?

Cotyledon pendens ?

Flower detail:

Flower detail of Cotyledon pendens ?

The Chasmanthes aren't over yet!

Chasmanthe

There was a strong smell from the Lobster Plant Plectranthus neochilus planted in a wide band next to the stream as it flows down past the Mill:

Plectranthus neochilus

Today we had a peek at the stunning Clivias in Steen's garden on the way out:

Clivia miniata

Down at the dam on the Experimental Farm, the Waterblommetjies Aponogeton distachyos are all vying for space in the sun!

Waterblommetjies Apongeton distachyos

This unfortunate Daisy flower was overwhelmed by Monkey Beetles!

Daisy covered in Monkey Beetles

This poor photo is of New Flower No 1, an Erica, close to the road we always use but we have never noticed it before. The leaves are quite long and not tufted, the flowers were pink, so which one is it? Erica plukenetii?

Erica plukenetii ?

We think we now have a name for the plant I have described before as having Cedar-like stems and Brunia-type round white flowers. Raspalia microphylla seems to fit the description; there's an iSpot submission from our area. It is of the Brunia family, and its common name is False Cedar! We're finding more and more of it.

Raspalia microphylla ?

The next 'new' plant was growing close to the Erica above, it has long oval-section leaves, growing about 30cm long straight out of the ground. What makes it interesting now are the branched deep red / brown flower stems which are also growing out of the ground. A branched stem can be seen growing out to the right in the picture below:

Unknown plant

Bud detail, before branching out:

Flower detail

Some of the flower stems were particularly thick, like this one below, others had branched out candelabra-style. We found three plants in a small area and no more. What might they be? We'll be back to see what the flowers look like!

Flower stem detail

Only a few Wachendorfia paniculata are out, but there are many plants waiting!

Wachendorfia paniculata

A third 'new' plant has hairy leaves and tiny pink flowers, the plant growing close to the ground. It has us guessing! How does one describe what is growing behind the flower?

Unknown plant flower detail

This is how the plant grows:

Unknown plant growing pattern

From the top it was good to see an Optimist out on the water, close to the Country Club!

Optimist on Eikenhof Dam

Here's an interesting Restio, short, with the sun catching the yellow of the flowers! The photo isn't detailed enough for Anina to identify it, but it was striking!

Unknown Restio

Another pair with culms which looked like porcupine quills!

Elegia deustum ?

Anina says this is possibly Elegia deustum.

Elegia deustum ?

We haven't seen a Sunbird in this particular spot before, here seen holding on to a Ceratocaryum argenteum male flower: 

Sunbird on Ceratocaryum argenteum male

White flowers make this an Oftia:

White buds on Oftia

... and this with pink flowers, a Teedia! For the rest of the year, we can't tell them apart!

Pink flowers on Teedia

Our fourth 'new' plant was growing right next to the track, two lilac flowers on an otherwise bare, but branched stem:

Gladiolus blommesteinii ?

The closest we get is Gladiolus blommesteinii, but we're far from sure!

Gladiolus blommesteinii ?

This is how far advanced the flowers are on the original single Phaenocoma prolifera which we found a couple of years ago, and as the name suggests, it's covered in them!

Phaenocoma prolifera

We stopped at the China Flowers Adenandra uniflora we saw last week, to verify the green petals (?) in the middle. What we found is that when the four petals are fully open, the last five   leaves (or are they sepals?) on the stem are exposed:

Adenandra uniflora

We wondered what had happened to all the ladybirds we found in the hollows in the rock a few weeks back:

Ladybird on spent Erica

This was close to the Penaea cneorum our 'new' flower of last week, now looking slightly redder at the base of the flowers:

Penaea cneorum ?

On the way home I just had to stop for this shot of a bright pink Erica. The dam was like a mirror!

Pink Erica and reflection

:-) A