Sub-tropical plants and gardens

28 Apr '07 1:38 am

Yet another chip away at the great mound of my ingorance. Blyde River Canyon is a new one for me. I'm got to go but really enjoyed a quick excursion.

28 Apr '07 3:14 am

Dear Jack, what a beautiful site for a Wedding. I do hope you will go back and take some more pictures. What I have seen so far is captivating. One of the things I love about this Forum is that it allows me to learn so much about other parts of our world. There is so much out there that I may never get to see otherwise.

28 Apr '07 7:44 am

For years I have admired this tree, whether in flower or not, on my way down to our closest town (as opposed to village!) at the bottom of the mountain. Two years ago a large tree standing only 50 odd meters away was struck by lightning and flung across the road just before I came by. My reaction was 'oh no! that beautiful tree!' ... and then I realised it was another.

The kapok tree as it is known here is also called the Floss Silk Tree, or Chorisea speciosa. The large seeds burst open to reveal a whole mass of cottonwool-like fibre which used to be used to stuff cushions. Many years ago, so the story goes, the lady of the house in one of the first wealthy farming families in the lowveld noticed a lump in her expensive imported cushion and in irritation opened it up, only to find a seed stuck within the stuffing. She planted it and thus the first kapok tree came to the lowveld!

It is covered in large orchid-like flowers, easily 12cm across (5 inches), for several weeks in late summer, and often makes a stately tree all year. They don't often seed heavily, but they DO look really silly covered in huge clumps of cottonwool - like badly decorated christmas trees where snow at Christmas is an incongruous concept.

28 Apr '07 12:43 pm

I wonder if I'm thinking of the same tree. Is this the one with the greenish bark and spikes on the trunk? The green may only be a juvenile phase. If so the flowers are rare here owing to the lack of heat.

28 Apr '07 6:55 pm

I think genetics have something to do with it too - some trees are impressive rather than spectacular, and this tree is the best I know, both in stature and display. It is set on a broad curve in the road, with a rather lovely looking roadstall beneath it to give it scale, so one sees it to best advantage as well.

9 Jun '07 6:40 am

Some time back Gordon asked for info on indigenous trees - so here goes: instalment one!

On the way to visit my Aunty Corrie this afternoon, I stopped to photograph a particularly beautiful glade, or kloof as they are known in SA, where a patch of indigenous forest remains. This is quite typical of the afromontane forests: originally it was all grassland with trees establishing in the glades where the veldfires tended not to reach. When farming happened – here mostly bluegum plantations – it tended to happen around the bits of forest.

The road, snaking its way down the contour, turns into the glade in what I’ve called a horseshoe , but I suppose is more conventionally called a hairpin bend. Even on the hottest of summer days it is cool here, with the sound of water in summer, and always a green, soft scent pushing from the earth. The trees are beautiful, but I must shame-facedly admit that I don’t know most of them. There are perhaps 200 popular garden trees for temperate climates: I can recognise most of them. There are nearly 800 species in the South African National Tree List, and I would battle to name you 50. It is one of my projects for the future – to get to know more of our South African trees. One of the reasons Africa is so rich in species is that it is a very old geology, and the ice-ages had little influence here.

I will at some other stage post more info on our local trees – but here at least is an indication of what you can expect. Oh, and by the way: earlier this year Thomas Packenham, author of ‘Meetings with Remarkable Trees’ was in our area, working on his next book…

16 Aug '07 7:52 pm

Wow, Jack!

What simply incredible pictures, both of flowering trees and of scenery!! Simply the stuff of dreams! I can tell you that I loved them all, but I especially liked the one of the waterfall. I've only ever seen one place with red rock formations and cliffs like that, and it was in Waterton Lake National Park, in southwestern Alberta province here in Canada. It's part of an international park system shared with the U.S. (Glacier National Park is on the American side of the border). I've been there only once, many years ago when I was originally moving to British Columbia, and it was truly memorable. You certainly are lucky to live so close to such a spectacular area (not that where you live isn't also spectacular!).

It just makes me sad that politicians seem to be unable to grasp how important it is to preserve such areas and that preventing the climate from changing too much or too quickly is really paramount in protecting these species that give us all so much pleasure.

All the best,

gordonf

11 Sep '07 8:24 pm

Seasons move on, and as I travelled down into the sub-tropical Lowveld on my way to the Kruger, I watched out for more to share.

Firstly, here is Tabebuia chrysantha. One of the most spectacular of trees, it is well shaped and covered in huge golden flowers, about 70mm in diameter (3in). I stopped to photograph one beyond someone's vegetable garden, a fine example on the road to Tzaneen.

On the way back to the car, I was struck by the mass of Bougainvillea growing between the lanes of the double highway. So you get that, plus, for free, Jack's car, dirty and illegally parked for YOUR benefit! The trailer goes along as a lockable storage area, free from the late season dust and safe from marauding monkeys whilst one is out of camp. Friends had their tent raided TWICE - next time I know they will take up my offer of using the pantry!

Tomorrow (hopefully!) I will post some Kruger pics on my "Nature as a Garden" post on Garden Tours.

12 Sep '07 1:35 am

You have to take more close-ups of this creature, dear Jack!! More " macro"-style close ups!! Such a beauty! Thank you for sharing such beauty!

12 Sep '07 6:10 am

Here is a link to a most beautiful picture of this tree which I saw when I googled to confirm its name:
http://static.flickr.com/90/211304583_eb830bfb31_b.jpg
And two detailed pics!

Sub-tropical plants and gardens

Wonderful countryside.

The kapok tree

That's the one, Mark!

On the way to Aunty Corrie

What to Say??

Tabebuia chrysantha

Such a golden beauty, Jack!!

For Liza