Seneca Hill Perennials

February 8, 2008

A generally “down” day today.  We rose early (5:15 for me, as Cameron was already stirring) w/the intention of making ourselves a nice breakfast and heading up to Naude’s Nek, one of 2 prime spots in the southern Drakensberg for viewing high-altitude flora (8600’).  Breakfast plans were thwarted by the absence of gas for cooking (tank empty) and the fact that the cheese we’d bought was spoiled (Brie – bad idea), so we limped by on toast, tea or coffee, and (me) an apple, and headed 47km to Naude’s Nek.  The site turned out to be enveloped in clouds, blowing steadily from the east and drizzling (clouds are wet), and it never did clear off. We wandered around for an hour or two, collected some Massonia echinata seeds (collected quantities of Kniphofia northiae seed on the way up), and finally gave up when we were all too cold and wet to be optimistic that things would change.  They never did – the clouds sat on the mountains all day, and followed us down as we tried other lower-altitude locations.  Some small successes were had – we found Eucomis schijffii at one site, and this answered a question that’s been at the back of my mind, as schijffii in books is a gorgeous little thing, but these and the plants  I bought from Dawie as E. schijffii are merely green and very small, with short inflorescences, all green, and large topknots.  C was sure it was E. humilis, but J says absolutely not, it’s just a southern form of schijffii, and nowhere near as attractive as the Sentinel Peak form, which J promises to show us when we go there.

At the same site, on the road to Rhodes below NN, C found some Cyrtanthus flanaganii seeds, and gave me a pod, so that was nice.  At the end of the day, after returning to Lovedale, we drove out the other side of Rhodes and poked around a bit, finding Lessertia frutescens (formerly Sutherlandia montana) in flower and seed. But on the whole it wasn’t a wildly successful day. So, for the moment, I want to be at home, but I suppose I’ll cheer up.  This evening we had another nice dinner at the Rubicon, and since C asked for a less elaborate dinner than last night’s we both got lighter and, I thought, tastier fare, and paid less for it (75R each, roughly $11). 

Guess I’ll read some more of Paul Theroux’s Dark Star Safari, which is now winding up in SA …