September 2015 Our AGM was held on 6 June 2015 in the Clivia Room at the KZN National Botanical Gardens, Pietermaritzburg. Prior to the AGM, the committee arranged a bring-and-share picnic to give Linda Longhurst, the Features Editor at The Witness, the opportunity to interview Elsa Pooley.

News from the AGM is that Vic Schutte resigned from the committee as he felt he was better suited to practical support rather than to attending meetings. Unfortunately, requests for other members to volunteer to join the committee did not bring forth any new faces.

After tea, Elsa gave us a very interesting talk. She started by describing her early days as a young wife at Ndumo Game Reserve where she developed an interest in the indigenous plants in the reserve. She started painting flowers that she did not know and tried to get them identified. As she wasn’t able to get much help at Ndumo, she used to take her paintings, and later pressed specimens, to the Herbarium at the then University of Natal, where she was assisted with identification. She used to make a point of visiting the Herbarium whenever she was in Pietermaritzburg on leave.

Elsa’s husband, Tony, encouraged her to save her paintings and, eventually, to compile a book. As there was very little literature available at the time, this gave rise to her producing a number of field guides, which are still available today.

Elsa, together with Geoff Nichols and Andrew Hankey, is producing a comprehensive book in a format similar to the Royal Horticultural Society reference work. The intention is to provide a guide to growing indigenous plants in the various areas of South Africa, with details of requirements and tips for success. The target date for publication is September 2016. Dave Trickett

Saturday 29 August 2015

Outing to the 62-year-old Grassland Burning and Mowing Trial, Ukulinga Research Farm, UKZN (PMB), where Prof. Kevin Kirkman will address us on this longest trial of its kind.

Meet at the Ukulinga Farm entrance at 9.30 am and bring tea/snacks for a picnic afterwards. Please note the new date for this outing Contact: Alison Young 082 406 5638

Chairman: Newsletter: Secretary & Outings: Treasurer: Mr Dave Trickett Ms Tessa Smythe Mrs Alison Young Mrs Mary Thrash dave.trickett@garlington.co.za tessal.smythe@gmail.com younga@ukzn.ac.za mary@sharpmetal.co.za

082 446 6458; 033 329 5059 083 650 0087 082 406 5638 072 614 1612; 031 785 1781

KZN National Botanical Garden: Curator: Mr Gcina Allen Nene: g.nene@sanbi.org.za Tel. 033 344 3585

botsockzninland@gmail.com Facebook: ‘KZN Inland Branch BotSoc’ www.botanicalsociety.org.za

THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA 033-394 NPO

KwaZulu-Natal Inland Branch

Newsletter No.3/2015

September 2015

Comm. Member Position Portfolio E-mail Telephone

Dave Trickett Chairperson dave.trickett@garlington.co.za 033 329 5059 082 446 6458

Christina Curry Deputy Chair Publicity/Facebook potgietercj@ukzn.ac.za 033 260 5146 082 062 2939

Alison Young Secretary Planning of Outings younga@ukzn.ac.za 033 260 5154 082 406 5638

Mary Thrash Treasurer Fund Raising mary@sharpmetal.co.za 072 614 1612

Tessa Smythe Newsletter/Editing of articles etc. tessal.smythe@gmail.com 083 650 0087

Friederike Voigt Education/SANBI Liaison friederike.a.voigt@gmail.com 033 344 1166 082 779 6766

Aloe Festival talk & activities: Gardening with children Our annual BotSoc talk at the Aloe Festival took place on Saturday 27 June. We decided on a topic that included the whole family, so concentrated on ideas for gardening with, or for, children. Despite the cold weather, we had about 20 adults gathering for the informal talk that I gave using ideas gathered from all our committee members. Then Alison Young showed us how to create a miniature ‘fairy garden’ using small succulents in a shallow container. She also gave away samples of these plants – an instant ‘fairy garden’, if you wish – to everyone.

Then the real fun started. The enthusiastic staff of the KZN National Botanical Garden had, the previous day, set up a long barefoot path through some trees at the venue. During the course of the morning, we delighted in seeing children running, walking, and even leopard crawling, barefoot along this path, which consisted of varying textures: cool sand, knobbly gravel, smooth pebbles, crunchy dried leaves, smooth straw, and the like. We also encouraged the adults to take their shoes off, so the path was much enjoyed by all.

The previous day Alison and I had relocated an insect hotel from Megan Griffiths’ house to the venue, and reconstructed it there, with some local materials added. We are thankful to Megan for this kind donation – she did much to popularise insect hotels in Pietermaritzburg, but sadly has moved back to the USA. We are pleased that her insect hotel will live on at Pandora Long’s Galago Farm, where we had rebuilt it. (Everyone should build one of these in their garden – it was such fun.) It was much admired the next day, when visitors had a good look at it and saw both the benefits to wildlife and the educational value of such a project.

The KZN NBG staff hosted a craft area, suggested by Friederike Voigt, where children and adults were encouraged to create circular mandalas using found objects, petals, leaves, and the like. Children also had the opportunity to sift through boxes containing compost to hunt for nunus.

All in all, this was a great morning and a wonderful showcase of how much can be done with relatively little effort in one’s garden. Thanks to everyone that helped, and to the Aloe Festival and Pandora Long for giving us this opportunity every year.

Christina Curry

Growing the next generation of conservationists

The Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) KZN Node recently surveyed the near-threatened Aloe prinslooi in Colenso. To create awareness about this special species, the node hosted a ‘threatened plant’ activity with learners from a school close to the site. The event was run by Mbali Mkhize, CREW Assistant, who spoke to the learners about the importance of conserving our natural environment and the various threats to biodiversity, before conducting a short field trip. There the learners got the opportunity to engage in plant monitoring when they learnt how to conduct surveying and sampling of plants. The day was an overall success with learners becoming more environmentally conscious of the various threats to biodiversity and the threatened plants in their local community.

In July, the CREW KZN Node, together with the UKZN: Pietermaritzburg campus, invited the public to participate in an iSpot workshop with the intention of increasing citizen scientists within KZN. iSpot is an innovative tool, developed in the UK, to get the public involved in scientific research and to network with other nature lovers. The event, facilitated by the iSpot southern African custodian, Tony Rebelo, demonstrated the applications of iSpot. The workshop received a positive response from those who attended the event, with people eagerly wanting to upload their finds on to the website. CREW hopes to spread the word about this modernistic approach to citizen science and to get more nature enthusiasts involved. For more information on iSpot visit www.ispotnature.org

Kaveesha Naicker DST/NRF Intern: CREW KZN Node

Activities planned in the KZN Midlands: October 2015

Kilgobbin Forest Walk – Dargle 1 October 9 – 11 am Contact Barend Booysen to book 082 787 0797 Donation: R20 to Dargle Conservancy

Milestone Forest Walk 2 October 9 – 11 am Contact Marilyn Revesz on 082 427 3365 Donation: R20 to Balgowan Conservancy

Dargle Local Market 4 October 9 – 11 am at Lions River Club Contact: Mike 083 325 1082

Boston Forest Walk – Boston 4 October 9 – 11 am Contact Carol to book: 082 450 6792 Donation: R20 to local conservation

Gartmore Farm Walk – Karkloof 7 October 9 am – 12 noon Contact Robyn McGillivray to book: 082 802 8949 Donation: R20 to Karkloof Conservancy

Rosetta Country Market 10 October 8 am – 12 noon Rosetta Dam, Kamberg Road (about 500m from R103 on left hand side). Contact Dave Whitfield: 082 550 4656

Mpophomeni Hills Walk 13 October 9 – 11 am Contact Penz Malinga to book 071 450 9320 Donation: R20 to Mpophomeni Conservation Group

Fort Nottingham Walk 15 October 9 – 11 am Contact Roy Tabernor to book: 082 487 0922 Donation: R20 to Lion's Bush Conservancy

Mbona Private Reserve Walk – Karkloof 16 October 9 – 11 am Contact Keith Cooper to book: 082 574 1958 Donation: R20 to Karkloof Conservancy

Curry’s Post Conservancy Walk 18 October 8.30 for 9 am start Contact Sarah Allan to book: 076 578 2941 Donation: R20 to Curry’s Post Conservancy

Midlands Country Market 18 October 9 am – 12.30 pm Peter’s Gate Herb Farm, R103, Lidgetton Contact Karen 076 412 1320 or Paola 076 872 7734

Rosetta Country Market 24 October 8 am – 12 noon Rosetta Dam, Kamberg Road (about 500m from R103 on left hand side). Contact Dave Whitfield: 082 550 4656

Beacon Hill Walk – Howick 25 October 9 – 11 am Contact Eve Hughes to book: 082 872 4333 Donation: R20 to Friends of Beacon Hill

Symmonds Stream Weed Walk – Howick 27 October 9 – 11 am Contact Pam Haynes for details 083 456 9202

Events Calendar: September–December 2015

KZN Inland Branch (Pietermaritzburg)

Please feel free to invite friends and family along to our outings. All Botanical Society events are attended at your own risk. Confirm details of outing in case of changes.

Members that need a lift to outings should ask the contact person if anyone has space to share.

24–27 September: A Symphony of Spring

Spring is in the air and with it comes the annual Garden Show. After last year’s success, the

BotSoc Inland Branch has decided to participate again in this year’s Happy Earth Hall. This

hall is a collaborative space for NGOs and government organizations, focusing on

conservation, environmental education and sustainability.

The Garden Show is under the new management of Tanya Visser and will have an exciting new

look and feel to it. It will be a four-day show from 24–27 September at the Royal Agricultural

Showgrounds, Pietermaritzburg, and will be a colourful and flower-rich event. The Happy

Earth Hall has decided to focus on colour in, and harmony with, nature. The branch plans to put

together a stand with the focus on birds-, bees- and butterflies-friendly gardening to give

inspiration to our members and the public alike; craft projects for children or grandchildren will

also be offered.

So do come and visit us in Hall 2.

If you would like to be involved with the setting up of, or manning, the stand during the show,

please contact Christina Potgieter Curry on potgietercj@ukzn.ac.za or 033-2605146.

Saturday 10 October Talk by retired Professor Siegfried Drewes 2 for 2.30 pm ‘The long walk to uBangala – the race for African Viagra’ Clivia Room, KZN NBG Contact: Alison Young 082 406 5638 Saturday 14 November Mbona Estates grassland, Karkloof 9.30 am Keith Cooper will be leading the walk Contact: Alison Young 082 406 5638 Saturday 5 December Year-end function 10.30 am at Blackwoods Nursery, Richmond There will be a talk (speaker to be confirmed) followed by a light lunch at member’s own expense Contact: Alison Young 082 406 5638

Membership message from BotSoc Head Office

BotSoc members gain free entry to all SANBI National Botanical Gardens in SA, but are required to present a valid membership card at the entrance. In addition, members may be required to provide proof of identity. BotSoc membership cards are not transferable. Remember to renew your membership before it expires. If you don’t receive your new card within a month, please contact the Head Office at 021-7972090. New membership and renewals can be paid by cheque, credit card or online at www.botanicalsociety.org.za . Three accounts are sent via post and/or email, through the month, in an effort to inform our members of their renewal date and methods of payment. Please renew membership on receipt of the first account in order to enjoy continued free entry to NBGs. Please note that a non-refundable entry fee will be payable (to SANBI) by members not in possession of a valid BotSoc membership card.

The Budding Botanists

The past couple of months have not been great for ‘flowering’ – dry and frosty and lots of burning of firebreaks, not conducive to swathes of lovely wild flowers! Even my most favourite flowering destination, Cumberland Nature Reserve, has yielded but a very short list of plants brave enough to flower under these difficult conditions.

But the yellow-billed kites have returned, heralding spring and the hope of exciting buds bursting out all over the veld. It always amazes me how brave those early flowering plants are, peeping out of the dry and often black soil. I do hope we get some early rain to encourage them.

September sees the celebration of Arbor Day and this year the trees chosen as ‘Trees of the Year’ are Combretum kraussii, the forest bushwillow, and Heteromorpha arborescens (used to be called Heteromorpha trifoliata), the parsley tree. Let’s start with the forest bushwillow. In the wild it occurs over much of the eastern part of the country in evergreen forest and thick bushy habitats with fairly good rainfall. It can grow to about 9 metres. With a similar spread in the garden, it makes a great screen, or a specimen to provide shade. In spring the new foliage is often almost white, with the green chlorophyll only being brought in a few weeks later. The flowers appear at the same time, creamy-white in dense spikes, but the white leaves are probably more noticeable! As the leaves mature they become darker and darker green. There are always a few bright red leaves decorating the tree and as autumn approaches, more and more red leaves appear – a most attractive feature. Although strictly a deciduous tree, the actual leafless period is only about a month, a wonderful attribute for a screening plant. The four-winged fruits, which appear in late summer, give the whole tree a glorious reddish pink colour; the fruits are often parasitized and the southern black tits find this an irresistible treat. Combretum kraussii is happiest in a warmish area with good rainfall, but copes admirably with the average winter drought and survives moderate frost. The mature fruits make a great addition to a dried flower arrangement!

The second ‘Tree of the Year’ is the parsley tree, Heteromorpha arborescens. The generic name means ‘having many different shapes’ which is sometimes attributed to the fact that the seed comprises two unequal parts; but the leaves are sometimes 3-foliolate, sometimes 5-foliolate, and in the southern Cape can even have a simple leaf, so maybe that’s where the name comes from? This is a great tree for folk that love interesting bark. It is shiny and a sort of dark coppery colour, peeling rather like the Commiphora species does, but regularly marked with horizontal bands. Both the leaves and the flowers are aromatic; the greenish yellow flowers resembling the flowers of parsley and carrots. The parsley tree shrugs off any frost with disdain, and is always tall and thin, although sometimes multi-stemmed, always showing off its fascinating bark.

With Love from Sally