Tag: Namaqualand

Cheiridopsis peculiaris (eselore)

A peculiar species indeed and therefore easy to recognise.
The plants are up to 5 cm tall, usually with up to 3 branches. They form two types of leaf pairs: in the first one the leaves are flat and largely free. In the second pair they are upright and fused for more than half their length; this pair becomes dry and papery in summer, so that the new growth is protected from drying out.
The flowers very large (up to 6 cm in diameter) and appear in Aug.-Sept.

Found on shale flats and gneiss slopes in northern Namaqualand (from Springbok to north and west of Steinkopf), an area with 100-200 mm rainfall per year (in winter).

 

 

 

 

 

Pelargonium abrotanifolium (Klipmalva)

Both the appearance of the plant and the scent of the leaves remind one of southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum), hence the species name.
The species occurs widespread from Namaqualand to the Eastern Cape and the Free State, often on rocky outcrops.
Although the plants are usually smaller, they may reach a height of about a meter.
The branches are slender and woody, with softly hairy leaves that are pleasantly aromatic when crushed.
The flowering stems bear 1-5 flowers about 2 cm in diameter with white, pink or mauve petals decorated with red or purple veins. Flowers may appear almost throughout the year (especially after rain).

BOOK REVIEW: Secrets of Namaqualand Succulents by Florent Grenier

Normally when reviewing a book, one tends to compare it to others on the same subject, but in this case, there literally is no comparison. It may be of interest to know that the book came to life thanks to nearly 700 pre-orders.

The following will hopefully give you some idea of the scope of this book, which is arranged in five parts.
The first chapter, Diversity, describes what the Namaqualand plants have to offer to our five sense-organs.
The second chapter, Species, shows a large selection of Namaqualand succulents and geophytes.
In the third one, Habitats, the main regions of Namaqualand as well as 3 neighboring regions ( Cederberg, Bokkeveld and Bushmanland) are described.
Survival looks into some of the strategies that enable succulents to survive in Namaqualands harsh environment and the last chapter goes into the astonishing methods of plant reproduction, in particular, those relating to insect pollination.

Over 1100 beautiful photographs support the text. I would have loved to see the pictures printed on better paper, but that is a minor drawback compared to the wealth of information and inspiration the book has to offer.
All in all, with its combination of habitat photography and popular science, this is a unique publication that will almost certainly delight anybody interested in succulents as well as those passionate about nature and arid regions.
And last but not least: it is just a great pleasure to come across a book by someone who is not only really interested in his subject but also able to get that enthusiasm across.

The book contains 350 pages and is hardbound. The price is 39 €, but buyers in SA pay a special price of R590 (about 35 €).
To order:
write to longitude110@gmail.com and you will receive the details for an EFT payment. Otherwise, books can also be picked up in Stellenbosch (Dorp Street) and Cape Town (Newlands) upon prior notification. Books will also be stored at Kirstenbosch, at the Rooiklip nursery (Swellendam), NamaquaLodge (Vanrhynsdorp), Bagdad Café (Vanrhynsdorp-Nieuwoudtville road), Kamieskroon (cell phone details given by email), Springbok lodge (Springbok) and at Nigramoep slow living Guestfarm (NW of Springbok).
Special editions (signed copy for 49 € and collector’s edition for 89 €) can be ordered from the website www.namaqualand-succulents.com.

Aloe arenicola (bont-ot’korrie, sand aloe, sand aalwyn)

This species only occurs on the very dry sandy* coastal plain on the west coast of South Africa, from the mouth of the Orange river in the north to Lambert’s Bay in the south.
Most of the moisture in this narrow strip is provided by mist from the Atlantic. As a result of mining activities and overgrazing, the species is considered to be vulnerable.

The plants form dense groups 15-40 cm tall. These consist of numerous creeping stems up to 1 m long of which only the leafy upper 20-30 cm are erect. The leaves are up to 20 cm long.
Flowering takes place from July in the north to January in the south.

Juvenile plants differ greatly in appearance, having thin stems with long internodes and small leaves. This is the form most often seen in cultivation, where it is often grown as a hanging plant.

*arenicola = sand dweller.

Vanzijlia annulata

There is only a single species in the genus Vanzijlia, occurring in sand along the west coast, from Saldanha to Hondeklipbay and inland towards Clanwilliam on loam.

The plants form small tangled shrubs, with branches creeping or growing upwards into other shrubs. They have dimorphic leaf pairs:
– a smaller, nearly completely fused pair which is oblong or spherical, with or without small free points to the leaves
– a larger pair in which the leaves are more or less cylindrical or semi-cylindrical and only fused at the base (often inflated there).
The pale pink to white flowers are solitary, 2.5 to 6 cm in diameter and appear in late autumn to winter (May-September). After pollination they develop into capsules with 9 or 10 compartments.

Euphorbia schoenlandii (Noordpol)

With its robust columns up to 1.3 m tall and up to 20 cm in diameter, this species is often easily spotted from far away. Its distribution area is southern Namaqualand, where it occurs on sandy/loamy flats.
The stems are simple or rarely branched and have large hexagonal tubercles and short-lived leaves. They are decorated with sharp hard spines which are derived from sterile peduncles and up to 5 cm long.
The inflorescences (cyathia) are usually solitary on short peduncles and appear in April-June.

E. fasciculata is similar, but much smaller and does not have sharp pointed spines.


A rare crested specimen

Hope for the future

 

Stomatium alboroseum

Whereas nearly all species of Stomatium have yellow flowers, here – as the name implies- the flowers are white to pink.  They are about 2.5 cm across and heavily scented; they begin to open only near sunset. The flowering period is stated as August to December.
The plants vary from compact and somewhat dome-shaped to flattish and forming mats up to 8 cm in diameter with age.
The leaves are spoon-shaped to trigonous, 2-2.5 long, about 1 cm long and about 0.7 cm thick; they have an inconspicuous keel, wavy margins with 3-6 small white, teeth-like warts and a very rough skin.
Occurring on sandy flats or pans with a high content of lime in Namaqualand and southwestern Bushmanland.

 

 

Crassula elegans ssp. elegans

This widespread and often locally common taxon occurs from southwestern Namibia to near Vanrhynsdorp on sandy/ gravelly/rocky slopes and flats, often under bushes.

It is a dwarf plant 1-8 cm tall, usually with many short branches and forming small tufts.
As shown by the pictures, the leaves are highly variable in shape, size, colour and texture; they are very thick, 0.3-1.5 x 0.3-1 cm in size and usually egg- to lance-shaped with blunt tips, green, grey-green, brown to deep red, sometimes even white.
Most often the leaves are smooth, but sometimes covered with papillae or fine hairs. They are irregularly arranged (not in 4 obvious ranks), with invisible internodes; eventually they shrivel up completely but they remain attached to the stems.
The small flowers are cream or white and appear in Dec.-June.

 

 

 

 

 

Pelargonium magenteum (incl. P. rhodanthum)

The softly woody branches  of these shrubs bear heart shaped to roundish leaves 0.5-2 cm in diameter, velvety hairy and greyish green, with a coarsely toothed margin.
In May-October the plants put forth inflorescences, each with 2-9 flowers about 2 cm across; the petals are pink to mauve to deep magenta, with dark purple spots and stripes.
The species is widespread from Vanrhynsdorp to Montagu and Calitzdorp, usually on rocky outcrops. As the shrubs become up to 1 m tall, they make great garden plants in a suitable climate.

 

 

 

 

 

A jewel in the Crassula crown: C. deceptor

Some forms of this species are among the most beautiful that Crassula has to offer and in such a big genus with many attractive species, that’s quite something.  As the pictures show, the plants are variable in many respects, especially shape, size and arrangement of the leaves.

When not in flower, the plants are up to 8 cm tall, often with several short branches.  Each branch forms a short, 4-angled column up to 2.5 cm in diameter, bearing closely packed leaves which are 0.6-1.5 (-2) cm long and 0.3-1 (1.5) cm wide.
The leaves are acute or obtuse, flat or slightly concave above and very convex below, somewhat boat-shaped and densely covered with hard, almost spherical papillae.
Old leaves will shrivel a lot, but stay attached to the branches.
In December-March the plants produce miniature flowers in small clusters on peduncles 2-8 cm long.
The species is widely distributed in south-western Namibia and in north-western South Africa as far east as Kakamas and south to Vanrhynsdorp, usually on gentle slopes or on rocky outcrops, often among quartz gravel.