Noisome Sunday Flower Walk

Yes, noisone because we couldn't seem to get away from the stench that the southeaster was bringing from the stinky dam of Oude Molen Distillery!

The smell was even stronger than these Helichrysum foetidum, which thankfully are nearly over. They are well named!

Helichrysum foetidum. Hold your nose!

The water level of the dam on the Experimental Farm is dropping, making it easier to get to the Nymphaea nouchali:

Nymphaea nouchali

Here the difference between them and the smaller-leaved yellow-flowered Nymphoides indica can be seen:

Nymphaea nouchali left and Nymphoides indica right

The Buchu Agathosma betulina flowers are shy, just about three on one branch on quite a big bush. However, seeds must be spreading because there are about eight or ten small plants doing well around it.

Buchu Agathosma betulina flower

We have recorded six healthy Roella incurva plants, far away enough from the ones in danger of being washed away.

Roella incurva, a safe distance from the wash-away

We had another look at the Butterspoon, Rooi Els Cunonia capensis we found last week. The new growth looks vigorous and healthy.

Butterspoon Cunonia capensis Rooi Els

The 'spoon' is slightly hollow on one side and the other is veined like this. The next two are forming in the axils on each side.

Detail of the back of the 'spoon'

This year's flowers are forming on the Brunias, last year's are turning brown.

Brunia, new flowers and old

All year we've been watching for this Erica to flower. It has us stumped.

Unknown Erica

Another view:

Unknown Erica

The flowers are like E. coccinea, but the leaves are not, as can be seen from this one growing close by. Its leaves grow distinctly in tufts and the new flowers are not so advanced:

Erica coccinea

Another large Campylostachys cernua we haven't seen before:

Campylostachys cernua

Pity we didn't find it before, it must have been impressive covered in flowers. There were just a few left. Campylo means bent over, that must refer to the flowers, but stachys means grain, as in wheat:

Campylostachys cernua flowers

Looking up from that, I saw a mass of blue! No less than 22 flowers on this group of Agapanthus walshii!

22 Agapanthus walshii flowers!

One might wonder why they're so rare, but look at this, it seems that there is only one viable seed on each flower, the rest don't seem to have formed, or are completely missing.

.... but very few seeds!

We were on a road we haven't checked for many weeks. The pink Ericas there form large patches of colour in the veld.

Pink Ericas colouring the veld

What is this, with its long bare stalks and tiny five-petalled flowers?

What is this?

Flower detail from the top:

Flower detail

... and from the side, and a spent flower:

Flower and spent flower from the side

Another happy-looking bunch of Agapanthus walshii, with eight flowers. I remember this one from before, it may have had one or two flowers maximum.

Eight Agapanthus walshii flowers

The Watsonia schlechteri are past their best now, we seem to have missed the peak flowering season in this area, while we were concentrating on them on the other side.

Watsonia schlechteri

Flower on the tip:

Flower detail

This Erica pulchella was worth stopping for!

Erica pulchella

Another healthy looking group of Agapanthus walshii, on the way down in an area we haven't seen them flowering before.

More Agapanthus walshii!

From yesterday, on the way to the Water-Mill in Bot River, on Houw Hoek Pass, the Aulax umbellata are in flower!

Aulax umbellata in Houw Hoek Pass

Detail of the male flower:

Male Aulax umbellata flower

:-) A

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Dilatris Sunday Flower Walk

We've been watching for Dilatris pillansii up in the place we call 'the Gulley' for years. They seem to flower quickly and they're all over before we get back there next time. Today I happened on two plants in a completely different place, one in full bloom!

Dilatris pillansii

These weren't fully open, but one of them on the second plant was!

Dilatris pillansii flower

Closer.....

Flower detail of Dilatris pillansii

Without the flowers, we forget which plants are D. pillansii, so we noted the leaf carefully. Flat, pointed and about four lines, not ribs, just visible:

Leaf detail of Dilatris pillansii

I had been wandering well off the track while Pippa sketched the red-tipped leaves of a Leucadendron:

Leucadendron with red-tipped leaves

Very close to the Dilatris, Pippa spotted a Stargrass Ficinia radiata, which we last saw in the forest and haven't noticed in the open before:

Stargrass Ficinia radiata

Again in this immediate vicinity, we found tufts of grass (?) with flowers (again!), and we're still not sure whether the flowers belong to the grass, or just use them as a host. There were no similar flowers in any other plants close by:

Unknown grass (?) with flowers

Most of these flowers were partly closed, but we found one flower fully open:

Detail of open flower

Four pointed petals behind, four more rounded ones in front......? So that was three 'finds' within a few square metres!

But I'm ahead of myself, on the way past the Railway cottage ruins, the unpleasant smell of the Helichrysum foetidum is quite strong!

Helichrysum foetidum

It really smells as if something's dead :-( But the flowers are pretty!

Helichrysum foetidum flowers

There are still many flowers out on the Sundews Drosera trinervia (?) and more buds to come behind!

Sundew Drosera trinervia (?)

Watch out, insects!

'Forest' of Sundews Drosera trinervia (?)

Just beginning to open, Sentry in a Box Albuca canadensis:

Albuca canadensis

Flower detail:

Albuca canadensis flower

The seed pods of the Wachendorfia paniculata lower down, which flowered early, are changing colour to their characteristic orange 'turbans':

Wachendorfia paniculata seed pods turning orange

Yesterday, on the way home from the Villiersdorp Agri & Arts Festival, I just had to pull the old truck off the road and take a photo of a whole hillside covered in Wachendorfias! As can be seen, there has been a fire here recently.

Wachendorfia paniculata covering a hillside on Viljoens Pass

This Orchid was worth stopping for:

Orchid spp.

And a magnificent Wachendorfia with a lot of flowering still to do!

Magnificent Wachendorfia paniculata

Here are the white flowers which have got us guessing. The close bunches of flowers from last week have opened up as their stalks have lengthened, so the florets are further apart.

Unknown plant, possibly Pseudoselago ascendens (?)

Flower detail:

Flower detail

Leaf detail:

Leaf detail

And another plant which seems further advanced, showing the stalks and leaves drying up. Dominic has suggested it may be Pseudoselago ascendens 'as a good guess' - also called Selago incisa.

Plant in advanced stage

We'll be watching them as they dry further, to see if they then look like this picture from Missouri Botanical Herbarium, which gives both names:

Specimen with both possible names in Missouri

The Pelargoniums are looking really good in full bloom:

Pelargonium flower

Pelargoniums on hillside

On the way home we stopped for these Sparaxis bulbifera, which are finished on the other side of the railway line. The backs of the petals are distinctive.

Sparaxis bulbifera

More on Yesterday's Show in Villiersdorp: There really was a lot going on, especially with the Arts combined with a Commercial Show. In one of the halls was a display of wild flowers which are in bloom at the moment, all identified by local Maureen Cumming. I was delighted to find an example of the little pink ball-type flower we have found recently and suspected as being a   Helichrysum:

Specimen at Villiersdorp identified as Anaxeton asperum

The leaves are the same as 'ours':

Leaf detail of specimen

The identification was Anaxeton asperum, which is indeed a Helichrysum. There must have been more than 100 flowers on display, this was only a part!

Part of the wild flower display at Villiersdorp Agri & Arts Festival

:-) A