Nature notes My Karoo koppiepza.sanbi.org/sites/default/files/info_library/karoo... · 2014-11-10 · My Karoo koppie Twenty kilome ters south of Worcester is Draaivlei, 516 ha of

Illustrations and text by Yvonne Quenet, Worcester

Nature notes

Cotyledon orbiculata

shrub with tiny yellow, button-likeflower heads. Long wandering rootssend out branches that bend over andtake root where they touch the soil.This is the well-known Karoo bush thatgives Karoo lamb that subtle herbflavour.

Our koppie has four species of theextremely hardy, drought resistantPteronia, a low growing groundcoverthat provides a protective habitat forother plants. Pteronia paniculata (gom­bossie) is a woody shrub with resinous,tightly rolled, olive green leaves.Pteronia jasciculata (parafienbos) is amore rigid shrub covered with narrow,sticky bright green leaves that contrastwith the small grey leaves of Pteroniaincana that give this plant its commonAfrikaans name of asbossie (littleashen bush). Pteronia ovalifolia (grys­bos) is a beautiful rounded, silver grey,soft bush with large yellow flowers atthe branch tips and bracts that arewhite and woolly. All of these species ofPteronia have bright yellow flowers.

A very interesting shrub, looking likea bonsai, is Othonna retrofracta. Itsstem is swollen, fleshy and dark grey,and it bursts into yellow flowers at atime when there is very little colour inthe veld. After flowering, soft blue greenleaves appear in tufts.

ScentedOn the lower slopes, many of the

One of my favourites is the ever-chang­ing concertina bush or sosatiebosCrassula rupestris with its thick, fleshymaroon, red and orange edged leavesthreaded in rows along the stems. Theflowers are crowded in clusters andchange colour from light pink to adeep, dark russet in the heart of sum­mer. Crassula atropurpurea andCrassula subaphylla are lovely dwarfshrubs with delicate clusters of flow­ers. Plakkies Cotyledon orbiculata areplentiful; their leaves have a waxy layerto reduce water loss, and the flowersare suspended like tubular bells onlong stalks. The euphorbias remaingreen throughout the year, giving asoftness to the hillside. GeelmelkbosEuphorbia mauritanica has yellowgreen stems with the most unusualflowers appearing in May. In contrast,soetmelkbos Euphorbia burmannii hasa darker green stem and despite itsmilky latex is well grazed by our ninegemsbok.

The plants grow mainly in colonies,closely interspersed, protecting oneanother from drought and heat. Aninteresting shrub is Tylecodon panicu­latus, commonly known as botterboom.This miniature tree stands up to 2 mhigh with a peeling, papery, thick suc­culent trunk. The leaves are fleshy,smooth and bright green, changing assummer approaches when water isconserved by shedding leaves beforeproducing tubular flowers that open inlate spring and early summer. Theflowers are dull and red-streaked withre-curved lobes, similar to the plakkie.

Tough and drought resistantThe drought resistant 'anker Karoo'

Pentzia incana is a low lying, grey green

Aspalathusquinguedentata

My Karoo koppie

Twenty kilome­ters south ofWorcester isDraaivlei, 516 haof land that myfamily (sevengrandchildrenincluded) regardsas our own spe-

Adromiscus filicaulus cial corner of theKaroo. For mostof the year this

stretch of veld at first glance appears tobe grey and almost devoid of life but acloser look reveals a treasure trove ofinteresting and unusual plants, all ofwhich have had to adapt to the extremeclimate. As the seasons come and go,so the plant displays and colourschange from the different shades ofgreen in winter to the silver grey anddeep russets of summer.

The Karoo rocks form a backgroundto the plants, some pinnacled and oth­ers smooth and rounded. Lichens growon their surfaces giving a melange ofcolours from white, green, orange andblack. Everywhere there are magnifi­cent combinations of texture, colour

and form.SucculentLeaf succu­

lents such asCrassula, Aloemicrostigma andCotyledon aredotted around.(Crassus is aLatin wordmeaning thick,referring to thefleshy leavesthat store water.)

As the seasons come and go, so the plant displaysand colours change from the different shades ofgreen in winter to the silver grey and deep russets ofsummer.

150 December 2004 Veld&Flora

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Aloe microstigma

Crassula subaphylla

between the Euclea and Rhus trees, thewolwedoring Lycium oxycarpum, pro­duces leaves after the first rains. Birdsare attracted to the tubular mauveflowers and shiny red fruits. There is asuperstition that when the leaves falloff this tall and hardy shrub, drought isaround the corner.

Another fynbos species that grows inloose sandy soil here, is the sandveldpincushion Leucospermum rodolentum.It is an erect shrub with silvery grey­green leaves that are covered in hairs,and the flowers are a deep yellow andoccur in clusters.

In May, the veld comes alive withmany different Oxalis species and then,in August the brilliantly colouredvygies take over. The Worcester vygieDrosanthemum speciosum has leavesthat consist of large water-filled cellscausing it to glisten in the sun, andflowers that are orange or red. Ruschiacaroli with its splendid purple flowers,is plentiful. The daisy family is repre­sented here by Helichrysum hebelepsis,H. ruWans and H. moeserianum, allwith grey felted leaves and brightyellow flowers.

And last but not least is the renos­terbos Elytropappus* rhinocerotis, thedull olive green bush that dominatesthe veld. It has no grazing value, nopretty flowers and is highly inflamma­ble. It is however, apioneer plant thatprovides a habitatfor the numer­ous geophytes.

·See note aboutthe name change

of this genus fromElyfropappus toDicerothamnus on

page 165.

their shade. Mistletoe Vis cum capenseand Moquiniella rubra favour the Rhusspecies, and their orange berries (muchsought after by birds) look as if they arepart of the Rhus.

Sand olives Dodonaea viscosa var.angustifolia are evergreen manystemmed shrubs with narrow shinylight green leaves that are a paler greenon the underside, often sticky andresinous. They are used medicinally toallay fevers, sore throats and the com­mon cold. It is a useful shrub for con­solidating sandy areas. Their seed cap­sules with their papery wings give thema soft and pretty look. This small tree isregarded as an indicator of an ecotonebetween fynbos and Karoo veld types.

The sweet thorn or soetdoring Acaciakarroo is a commonly occurring, palat­able small tree that grows up to 12 m.lts round yellow ball flowers, sickleshaped seed pods and slender whitespines make it a very attractive Karootree indeed.

Fynbos in the KarooOn the lower slopes of Draaivlei kop­

pie, where the karooid scrub meets thefynbos, a different plant communityoccurs. Large stands of plants belong­ing to the Restionaceae (sometimesknown as Cape reeds) dominate theveld. When the sun falls on the 2 m tallstems of the sonkwasriet Willdenowiaincurvata the dark green colour of thestems contrast spectacularly with thebronze colour of the bracts. The maleand female plants of the 'restio' speciesare strikingly different making identifi­cation very complicated.

As spring approaches, many deadlooking shrubs are transformed. Thegeelstertjiebos Lebeckia cytisoidesbecomes a soft-stemmed shrub withsilvery grey leaves and, in August, yel­low honey scented flowers. Wiborgiaobcordata, and W. mucronata produceyellow flowers in small sprays typical ofthe Fabaceae or pea family. Growing

Euchaetis pungensHelichrysummoeserlanum

bushes arestrongly scent­ed. The wildbuchu Diosma

ramosissima hasvolatile oils stored

in glands founddotted in rows on the

under leaf. Euchaetis pungens with itstiny white flowers emits a strong pep­pery smell if its sticky leaves arecrushed. The rather unusual blomkool­malva Pelargonium alternans growshere, as does Pelargonium radulifoliumwith its subterranean tuber, and thick,rigid, prominently veined, dull greenleaves. lts flower gives off a cinnamonscent as evening approaches.

A variety of geophytes (plants withunderground storage organs) are scat­tered amongst the shrubs and thesecome ablaze in the spring. Lapeirousiajacquinii is found on the lower slopes;and the naeltjie L. pyaimidalis grows onstony ground, the pyramid-shapedbuds opening to form a cluster of fra­grant, white to pale blue or pink, tubu­lar flowers.

TreesThere are not too many trees on

Draaivlei. The ghwarrie Euclea undula­ta is a very slow growing tree, its namederived from an old Khoi Khoi wordmeaning berry. Its umbrella shape pro­vides shade and many animals eat thenutritious berries when they ripen andturn black. The leaves are wavy, hardand dark green. The water-seeking rootsystem has lateral roots that extend ina wide circle around the tree. Theghwarries here, although small, aresaid to be well over a hundred yearsold.

Rub rub berry or baardbossie Rhusincisa is deciduous with trifoliate dark

green leaflets withtoothed margins.Taaibos Rhus undu­lata is aromatic andevergreen, with tri­foliate leaves thatare distinctly wavy.These small treesare the largest ofthe shrubs to be

found in ourveld and we

welcomeCrassula atropurpurea

December 2004 Veld&Flora 151