Momordica charantia, known as bitter melon, bitter gourd, bitter squash, or balsam-pear, is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit. Its many varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit. It is sometimes known by names loaned from Asian languages.
My ex-workers called it umkaka (a reference to the almost faecal smell.
The fruit and seeds look so appealing, but as you come closer to it, your appetite quickly dissappear and is replaced by extreme disgust. The ripe fruit bursts open to reveal bright red seeds. The seeds are brown-black covered with red pulp. According to Wikipedia² the seeds are sticky. I definitely don’t want to test, I don’t want that disgusting smell on my hands.
Every part of this plant is foul-smelling. Stomach wretch smelling. I can’t believe that there are people who eat this. But there are, and I have witnessed it myself. According to Elsa Pooleys¹ book, the green and ripe fruit of Momordica balsamina, a similar species, are eaten, but I have only seen my former workers harvest the younger leaves and ate it like spinach. I offered them real spinach from my veggie garden, and they declined my offer. Each to their own goes the saying…
A beautiful fruit with warty bumps Ripe fruit bursts open to reveal the bright red seedsIt looks so appetizing, but don’t be fooled. Come closer and your nose will make you quickly jolt back.Male and female flowers on separate plants
For further reading:
1. A field guide to wildflowers Kwa-zulu Natal and the Eastern region. Elsa Pooley. The Flora Publication Trust. 2005
November is raining season and I love to spend time in the veld just after it has been raining or while it is drizzling softly. I deeply experience the essence of growth and life during such time. The plants are clean and the air filled with the odors from aromatic plants that are bruised by the rain. I know not all people are religious, but I am, and I feel very close to my Creator during such times.
On the 13 November 2022 there was soft midget-pee falling, an ideal time for a walk.
I saw a Redhead fly on a grass stalk. They are huge robust flies and very sluggish. The signal flies and their larvae are frequently found on decaying organic material. The red head and black body make such a beautiful contrast.
It was difficult to get a decent photo on the swinging grass. I am very patient, but because I was getting wet, I deleted all my efforts and decided to continue with my walk.
I was about ten meters away from where I encountered the Redhead fly, when I became aware of something walking on my left hand. We have a lot of ticks on the property, and I immediately thought it was a bloodsucking bastard looking for a meal. Much to my surprise, it was the fly.
“You want to photograph me? Here I am. Now take your photos.”
I quickly took a few photos because I know sometimes you only have one chance before insects take off.
A tiny droplet can be seen on the torsoTiny droplets visible on the head
Much to my surprise, the fly had no intention of flying off. Instead, it treated me to a cleaning ritual. The perfect model! It was wiping away all the tiny midget-pee droplets. The entire body was tended to. Both the front and hind legs were used, and I was able to take videos of the behavior of the beautiful fly.
Hind legs used to clean the wings
The ultimate show!
I was literally crying when I eventually walked away. I was deeply moved by the experience. What a privilege it has been to be treated by such an amazing organism!
I can’t even remember how long it has been for me to scratch in leafy detritus looking for tiny snails, apart now for an outing in the Mountainlands Reserve recently.
My interest in snail hunting has been rekindled during that outing and the feeling I have is something like coming home after a very long journey. And indeed, it has been years.
I found a Gulella hunter snail just after we bought the farm end of 2003.. Gulellas are my favorite landsnails. They are tiny, micro-tiny, things with beautiful shells and yellow, orange or a combination of yellow and orange bodies. The shells are usually white to transparent white in colour. My Gulella was never identified, although I know it was not Gulella infans, a species familiar to me at the time. Unfortunately, it was lost when my house burnt down after being hit by lightning.
We had some good rain lately, which is ideal when looking for snails. So… I have been scratching in leafy detritus around my house yesterday looking for a Gulella in the vicinity where I found the one twenty years ago.
I have not found any Gulellas, only two Opeas snails. Gulellas feed on other snails, so I remain hopeful to find one again.
Opeas sp.
Opeas sp.
Small earthworms that quickly wiggled back into the soil were abundant
The grubs I found played dead. And then, in an instant, dug back into the soil. It was actually the first time ever I took the time to observe them.
Wiggle Wiggle and then it was gone.
Centipede
I also found some other interesting little critters. There were these teeny weeny very fast little centipedes. I will have to do some research to confirm if it is indeed centipedes. LLength is about 50 mm, but I think the width is less than 1 mm. I just couldn’t manage to photograph one with the whole body visible. By the time I had the camera ready, they were halfway back into the soil, effortless.
I managed to take a video of one, NOT an easy task, but I did. What amazes me is their ability to move forward and backwards at the same speed. Hasty little things, to say the least.
Micro centipede
This world beneath the leafy detritus goes totally unnoticed, and only if you are willing to sit on your bum and scratch in the litter and dig in the soil below it, only then it will reveal some of its secrets.
Raphionacme procumbens is a perennial asclepiad with herbaceous, procumbent annual hairy stems up to about 40 cm long, arising from a swollen underground, globose rootstock (caudex or tuber), up to 15-20 cm in diameter.
This plant is commercially cultivated and in cultivation the plants are usually grown in semi shade, with the tubers wholly or (preferably) partially exposed to prevent scorching and rotting of the roots. It can be grown from seeds and cuttings. For sure I’m going to try!
Apparently the huge tuber can be used as a source of water in times if famine.
What a privilege it is to have this beautiful plant growing wild on our property.
The family form part of the milkweeds. The Asclepiadaceae, commonly known as milkweed family, is a former plant family now treated as a subfamily (subfamily Asclepiadoideae) in the Apocynaceae (Bruyns 2000). (Source: Wikipedia)
Ceropegias are also called lantern flowers.
Ceropegia is a genus of plants within the family Apocynaceae, native to Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. It was named by Carl Linnaeus, who first described this genus in his Genera plantarum, which appeared in 1737 (Wikipedia)
1. Ceropegiameyeri
This is a perrenial twine with annual stem growing from a disc-like tuberous rootstock. Milky sap present. The stem and leaves dissappear in winter.
2. Ceropegia racemosa subsp. setifera
This is a perrenial twine with annual stem growing from a tuber. The stem and leaves dissappear in winter. Easily overlooked species.
According to the source below, the root is edible and tastes like Jerusalem artichoke. It contains around 95% water and is used as an emergency source of liquid by local people.
The young leaves are cooked and apparently have an acid taste.
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. Burkil. H. M. Publisher: Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. 1985 – 2004
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web – see http://www.aluka.org/
Earlier this year my husband told me that a small green frog jumped onto his shirt while cutting grass on the dam wall. He couldn’t give me more details and I had no idea how small really. From his report I expected a frog about 30-40 mm long.
Soon after that in April 2021 I had a visitor who came to study the water lilies that seasonally grows in the dam and the insects associated with them. The dam only fills up with rainwater run off and dries up in winter. I asked her to keep an eye open for me for small green frogs while doing her research.
It was not long into her wading session when she said she found one for me. A teeny-weeny-dainty-fairy sized translucent little thingy… I also found two of the same size, I guessed 15-20 mm in length, not more. Her friend is a herpetologist and he said the frogs we found might be sub-adults.
From my frog book I identified it as the Water Lily Frog. The next day I went back with the sole purpose of finding them. And I did, because I knew then how they sat with legs tightly tucked in on the sedge stalks. They only jumped away when you touched them. I couldn’t find any bigger frogs than that.
It is NOT an easy task to photograph such small objects, my cell phone’s camera struggles to focus and the movement of the sedges aggravate the situation.
We are in the middle of our rainy season and the dam has sufficient water for various frog species to breed. Two weeks ago I decided to go frogging one evening to see if I could perhaps observe my fairy frogs in their breeding behavior.
I quickly found several and soon I heard a call unfamiliar to me. I realized it had to be my fair frog. It was actually easy to follow the call and locate it.
Now imagine this… wading in the dark in calf deep water through sedges. Then with your left hand hold a torch to light up a fairy frog who is sitting on a moving sedge stalk. Then with your free hand you have to get the camera to focus, keep still and click on the right button to take the picture… NOT easy!
The pictures above and below were taken that night. Note the size of the frogs compared to the sedge stalks.
I managed to take a small video of the call for which I am very, very grateful. It is a series of high-pitched chick-chick clicks.
Mating call of Hyperolius pusillus, the Water Lily Frog. In the video the sounds of Painted Reed Frogs and Red Banded Rubber Frogs can also be heard.
This morning I donned my pink and purple water boots to check them out again. From this photo you can clearly see how small the sedges are!
The body is almost translucent and one can actually see some of the internal organs. The feet are a translucent yellow that I couldn’t capture accurately with my limited equipment. Some had a distinct yellow-gold colored dorsolateral line, some had tiny black spots and some had both. All of them are just too beautiful!
Here one can see the yellow feet and this individual has the dorsolateral line and some faint black spots on the body.
Note the dorsolateral line going above the eyes and extending to the front of the head.
According to my book about 300 small light green eggs are laid in clutches of 20 to 120 in a single layer around aquatic vegetation or between overlapping water lily leaves. As there are no water lilies yet, one can assume that the eggs will be laid among the sedges in this case. I will try my best to find some and then update this post.
Clearly a female. One can see the eggs through her translucent body.
Note the dorsolateral line going above the eyes and extending to the front of the head.
I am curious about what happens to them when the water dries up. I assume they hide in the surrounding vegetation. All I know is that I saw them last year for the first time and they survived to bless me again this year. Go well my tiny friends, till next year!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Frogs of southern Africa, Louis du Preez & Vincent Carruthers
Last week Saturday started like most of my Saturdays. Boring. House chores to be done. Three huge bundles of ironing hissing at me every time I passed my work room. At least I didn’t have preparation or marking for school to do, so that was already something to look forward to. The day however transpired into a very memorable one. Very much so!
Our raining season started early this year and the flowers are already abundant. Last week I did a quick walk with my grandchild to scout and saw that a certain plant is pushing out a flower. It was one of the first plants I photographed when I started to record all the life on Aylestone in the summer of 2003, and I know of only two spots on the farm where they occur.
I suspected it to be a Crinum species according to the plant morphology. It had pushed out flowers before, but our zebras really favor this plant and for years it was browsed to the ground long before a flower head could form. Once I saw a slither of white and pink, just enough to think that it might be Crinum macowanii, a species that do occur in our area. I dug up a bulb about three years ago and transferred it to my garden. Only once did the flower head survived long enough for me to confirm that it is Crinum macowanii, but not long enough to see the full open flowers. My garden is just an extension of the zebras feeding grounds, so their favorite plant remains a favorite.
So, just before I started with my chores, I decided to JUST quickly check how the Crinum was doing. Just quickly. Before it gets too warm.
This particular patch is just off some huge granite rocks where moisture is trapped. In good rainy seasons a small fountain from the trapped water provides moisture long after the season has ended.
Crinums are huge plants and I could see from a distance that the flower head was now starting to appear, and that it was intact and growing well. The zebras had missed it so far. Phew!
I’m never satisfied with photos from far. I want to see detail. As much as possible detail! As I was walking closer to take a more detailed photo of the flower head, a huge lizard suddenly scrambled over my feet, giving me a fright. I have encounter a huge Mozambique spitting cobra basking on the rocks before and that was the first thing that came to my mind.
It was then that I almost screamed again! This time not from fright, but from excitement. Excitement beyond what I can utter in words… for there in front of me, on my long awaited Crinum was the holy grail of my findings on Aylestone 8…
A living Cochlitoma transvaalensis! (The genus name has changed from Achatina to Cochlitoma) I often find empty shells, but only once before did I find a living specimen. My photos of that snail was unfortunately lost when our house burnt down after being struck by lightning in 2010. A single low resolution picture that I posted on a homepage was the only photo known of this species. Imagine the scientific importance of this find!
It was not moving, it was just resting… or uhm… just defecation some blackish poo. I couldn’t find any evidence on the plant of feeding. I took a few photos before, with trembling hands, I phoned a person who was also looking for this snail. He is busy with a book on the Achatinidae and this find is of importance. The signal was poor and I couldn’t get my exciting message through. Eventually I managed to get the news through on Whatsapp.
Because of the importance of this find, I didn’t leave it behind. Although there was no evidence that it fed on the Crinum I still decided to break a piece off to include in its temporary container before I send it off for more study.
Much to my surprise I found that it had consumed a very large portion of the leave when I checked on it the next morning.
From the position of the empty shells that I often find on the farm, I know that there are more plants that form part of its diet. At least I now know one.
On Monday I took a last few photos before carefully put in a package to be couriered to the landsnail specialist.
With the snail now gone, I still had the Crinum left to observe. The flower head started to open up into the individual flowers on Tuesday and the zebras have not yet discover it.
On Wednesday afternoon when I did my rounds I found that the flowers had been heavily fed on. After a thorough examination I found the culprits… the common little brown Christmas beetle.
My heart was crying out… when am I ever going to see an intact Crinum macowanii on my beloved farm? If not zebras, then beetles are killing my dreams!
And then… just before I lost hope, a flower greeted me in all of its magnificence, a beauty so pure that it made me cry…
What an exhilarating week! I still can’t get over the fact that I have found not one, but two species after waiting about seventeen years. TWO! To make it even more special is finding the two species in a feeding relationship.
I do not believe in coincidence. I believe in God Almighty. And today I am humble and extremely thankful for this grace and blessing that has been bestowed upon me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Patience is NOT a virtue… Patience is a blessing!
UPDATE SUNDAY 28 NOV 2021
Just to illustrate how blessed I am… I JUST visited the Crinum, and the zebras found it. It is as if there was no flower head at all, stalk and flower are both gone
Since we bought our farm in 2003 I have been documenting ‘life’ on the property. The diversity is amazing when you start to notice things. I have photos of more than 450 plant species already!
There are periods when I have a lot of time to spend on this mission, but lately my time is relatively restricted. Time for research is a bit scarce but I have promised myself that this is going to change. I have to take back what my work is stealing from me. Easier said than done, but I am going to try.
When the Level 4 Covid-19 lockdown was announced, most people were devastated to be restricted to their homes. I was out of my skin with happiness! At last… me-time. With so many of my friends and relatives that were homebound and depressed, I tried to be a light in their darkness by putting pictures of all the beautiful things that I encounter during my daily walks on our farm on my Facebook profile. There were still many late-summer wildflowers in bloom, with autumn species phasing in.
I especially love the smaller things in life and my whole being are ‘trained’ to observe the tiniest difference in the surroundings. That’s the only way I can try to explain how I see small things most other people fail to see. I often miss large things, because I am so focused on my macro surroundings.
On the 13th of April I was on my daily walk when out of the corner of my eye I caught a flash of red. It stood out on the green plant like a light in pitch darkness. From a distance my first thought was that I found a giant ladybird beetle. In the past I have lost the opportunity to photograph insects so many times because they were too alert and flew away when I came near, so I immediately stopped in my tracks and slowly took out my camera to take a picture. To my uttermost surprize it was not a ladybird beetle, but the most beautiful spider I have ever seen.
Paraplectana thortoni
As red coloured insects usually is an indication of poison, I thought this spider must then also be the bearer of some kind of venom or poisonous substances and I treated it as such. I did however find a way to carefully photograph the underside as well. The spider was not disturbed by any of my actions, and didn’t try to move away. It just sat on that leave as if it was glued there. From her swollen abdomen it could be deducted that she was most probably gravid (full of eggs).
Ladybeetles taste rancid and predators learn to avoid the brightly coloured creatures, remembering how bad they taste. Mimicry is the deceptive imitation of a defenseless and edible species of animal to be a species that are harmful or distasteful. These spiders mimic the appearance of ladybeetles and therefore would be predators will think they also taste bad. Mimicry is a clever survival method used by many species.
That evening I put the pictures on the Facebook group “The Spider Club of Southern Africa”, and learnt that it is a Ladybeetle mimic spider, Paraplectanathorntoni. I also learnt that I am one lucky lady to observe such rarely seen spiders. Wow! What a privilege!
One article I read also suggests that some ladybeetle mimicking spiders mimics tortoise shell beetles, and I can see the resemblance of the underside (ventral) of the beetles in the underside of this spider. The two species of tortoise shell beetles that I have photograph on the farm does not resemble the spider dorsally (upper side).
Ventral side. I doubt that any predator will ever see this side though
The next morning I went back and she was more or less in the same spot as the day before. In the open, not hiding at all and stuck to her post with her feet neatly tucked in as the day before. This was her daytime posture that I observed in the next week or so.
That night we had a very hard rain shower, and measured 42mm of rain. My heart was in my throat for my Lady Arach! The next morning I found her safe and sound on her bush… and I just knew this was going to be a good story to tell.
She remained on the same bush for a few more days but I didn’t check on her in the evenings then.
On the morning and afternoon of the 19th of April I couldn’t find her and thought this was the end of our journey, and I was cross with myself for not trying to photograph a web again. Then on the morning of the 20th I found an egg sac in the grass, about 30cm from the ground. I could jump out of my skin! She however, was still missing in action. The egg sac was secured to the grass with silk and looked quite sturdy. The whole structure was 40mm in length and 12mm in width.
Paraplectana thorntoni with an egg sac
Late afternoon I eventually found her new hiding spot in a thorn tree close by. Visibly flatter than before! She seemed not in good condition, but she was alive and that was a good sign for me. Our journey could continue…
Paraplectana thorntoni before and after laying eggs
That night her web was only two strands of silk without diagonal reinforcements. A loose strand with a large drop of the sticky fluid was swaying loose. Her energy was clearly used on building her egg sac. I found her building the web, and it was very interesting to see her adding the droplets of sticky stuff to the silk strands. It could have become more elaborate later, but I doubt.
I just have to mention here how very, very proud I am for taking the videos. Before you watch it, go find a spider web. Then try to focus and photograph that silk thread with your cell phone. Not an easy task, you will find. Now… I have done that with ONE hand, with my left hand I had to try to provide light with a torch and maintain my balance and not ending up breaking her web! PROUD, PROUD, PROUD!
I couldn’t load a video here, so I have uploaded it to my YouTube channel. Click on the links below to view the videos.
The next morning I found her still with the web, but this time breaking it down. I took the coolest video of her reeling in a silk strand. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay till the end to see if she was going to eat the silk or what. Click on the link below to view the video of Lady Arach breaking down her web.
That night I didn’t check on My Lady Arach and could kick myself the next morning, because I couldn’t find her. The egg sac was unchanged. I found her that evening about one meter to the back of where she was the previous evening. Two main strands of silk was used and she was busy eating a piece of something I couldn’t make out. At least her hard work was paying of in a nice meal.
Paraplectana thorntoni having a meal
The next morning marked day ten since I found my beautiful spider, my beautiful Lady Arach as I have named her. I could see that she was picking up condition again. Her egg sac was still intact. That night her web was a bit more intricate than the previous night, so definitely she ate enough to have more energy. The strands now had diagonal strands again. A moth (still alive) was dangling from a loose strand and I was happy that more energy was coming her way.
Paraplectana thorntoni web
In the photo of the next morning one can visibly see the difference in her condition. Her abdomen was inflating again.
Paraplectana thorntoni
The egg sac had a big surprize… There was a tiny RED moving creepy crawly on the bottom…Could it be a spiderling so soon? I took the walk more than once that day but couldn’t get a clearer picture or answer to the big question.
Paraplectana thorntoni with a red organism on bottom part of the egg sac
On one of my walks I found a ladybeetle about two metres from my spider. Quite interesting to compare the colours. How cool is that… a real ladybeetle in close vicinity of a ladybird mimicking spider… Unbelievable! The beetle is just much, much smaller than the spider.
Ladybeetle to compare with Paraplectana thorntoni
She was now on a new plant towards the back of the original plant and very content on the underside of a leaf. That evening proved my theory that her webs were becoming more intricate as her condition was picking up.
Paraplectana thorntoni web
The next morning I found she moved position again. Now sitting on the underside of a twig of the same plant. This was the last time I saw her. Whether she moved to a place where I didn’t see her, I don’t know. I have searched extensively for days and nights. Although she could really cling strongly to her base, that twig is just above a path used by our zebras and wildebeest. And she could just as well have been brushed off by one of them. If that was the case, then surely I hope that she had the ride of her life and was dropped somewhere ‘safe’ to lay another batch of eggs.
Paraplectana thorntoni
I was not very positive about the red creepy crawlies. They moved very un-spiderlike and more resembled mites than spiders. They were also constantly moving and not static like my dear Lady. It just couldn’t get my camera to focus on the vast moving creatures. On the 27th a larger red crawly was visible and it was now becoming clear that it definitely was not spiderlings but red velvet mites that invaded my precious egg sac. What are the odds of red velvet mites invading a red spider’s eggs sac, what? Click on the link below to view a video of the mites on the egg sac.
Paraplectana thorntoni egg sac invested with red velvet mites
On the 5th of May I decided to abandon observing the mites. I cut open the sac and with those that got away I counted twenty-two mites of different sizes. Some were too large to fit through the tiny holes and they must have committed cannibalism to survive.
What a journey! What a privilege to have been at home and not going to work every day. I thank God for this wonderful opportunity to have witnessed and observed such a beautiful creature. I will keep my eyes open, if there was one, there are more…
Dippenaar-Schoeman & Haddad 2014/2016. International Congress of Arachnology 2016. Sansa EWS 26. (SANSA News, No. 26 June-August 2016 from the ARC-LNR) PDF: https://goo.gl/pTWJfg
Peckham 1889. Protective resemblances in spiders. Occasional Papers of the Natural History Society of Wisconsin 1 (2): 61-113.
Please don’t use this blog to identify edible plants!
The intend of this article is not to give a full description of each plant and all its uses, I just want to share those plants that we, as occupants of the property, are nibbling on. I have provided links below where you can find more information.
Marula trees are well-known for their edible fruit. A wide variety of animals rely on marulas as a food source. Apart form us, we have observed the following mammals eating the fruit (Vervet monkeys, Impala, Zebra, Giraffe, Bush pig) and saw evidence of mice or other small rodents eating the nutty kernels.
The fruit of the Marula tree is commercially used in the making of liquor (liqueurs and beer) and marula jelly, a delicacy enjoyed like jam. The fruit pulp is rich in vitamin C and is sold as an ingredient of fruit blends. I have made Marula jelly, but it is labour intensive for only a small amount of finished product. The nutty kernels have a rich nice taste. It is used in the production of Marula oil, an ingredient of skin cosmetics.
Not all trees bear fruit though. They are dioecious, which means they have a specific gender on a tree.
(somehow my photo of the marula fruit was lost, I will post one next year Feb/Mar when they are in season)
Although the outside is weathered and discoloured, two of the three holes still contain the nutty material
The ripe fruit of the Sour plum is very rich in vitamin C, it is not called sour without a reason! It is said to be high in potassium and also to contain protein. We have a ritual in summer to introduce unwise visitors to our lovely ‘Bushveld cherries’ and only a few brave ones will keep eating for more than a few seconds. It can be used to make jam, but I try to leave the wild fruit for the wild animals, it is after all their source of food.
The nuts are edible and have a very high oil content. It is used as an essential oil in the industry.
Some years the tree bears these beautiful fruit in abundance and sometimes almost none
Since I have read that the berries of this plant is edible, I have tried it. I didn’t like it though, it is not sweet and has a strange tart taste. I will have to be hungry and without other nutrition before I will eat it again…
It is much more appealing to the eye than to the taste buds…
Annona senegalensis – Custard apple (Afrikaans – Wildesuikerappel, Vla-appel)
The Custard apple is a lovely sweet tasting fruit. The trees on our farm bear only a few fruit at a time and the monkeys love it, as do I when I am lucky to find a ripe one.
The ripe fruit is rare to find – the monkeys are quicker than me
This is an extremely nice wild fruit, and although not related to real grapes, the taste and colour of the ripe fruit is very similar to Catawba grapes, which is called ‘Glippertjies’ in Afrikaans. They grow on a dwarf shrub and sometimes there are no leaves yet when the fruit develops, like in the first picture below.
It is favoured by Vervet monkeys and Bushbabies and sometimes more than one season pass before I am lucky to find a few ripe treasures, and never when I have my camera close!
The ripe fruit is much more plump and purple.
Hard to find, but worthy the search…
Psidium guajava – Guava (Afrikaans – Koejawel)
The guava is regarded as an alien invader in the Lowveld and we try to eradicate it. Our farm is dry and luckily the guava trees are not successful here. The few fruits that may form is eaten green by the monkeys and I have never encountered a ripe fruit to photograph.
It has a lovely flower 🙂
Opuntia sp – Prickly pear (Afrikaans – Turksvy)
In the almost twelve years that we have been on the farm, I have only found ripe fruit twice. Opuntia is also regarded as invader plants, but they are not successful here.
I know about only one small tree on the farm and it is struggling. It does not bear fruit every year, but even the few times it did so far in the last twelve years, I was lucky only twice to get a few.
The green berries are poisonous and should be avoided. The dark purple-black berries are edible but I don’t like the taste. It cooks into the most incredible jam though! It is labour intensive to harvest the small berries and then clean it, but the syrupy jam is worth the effort.
+
Corchorus tridens
Although I haven’t tasted this plant yet, my workers harvest is as a spinach type vegetable and they use bicarbonate of soda in stead of table salt in the cooking process. Emelinah Mathebula says I won’t like it, because it cooks like a snail (meaning that it turns out slimy)
I have seen it offered by the street vendors in town
The flower of Corchorus tridens
Corchorus confusus is a similar species. Emelinah says it is also edible, but they prefer C. tridens
These lovely herbs are harvested by Emelinah as brooms to swipe their yards. However, the general name is also descriptive and I have made an infusion and it does indeed make a very sweet smelling tea. So nice that a friend of mine wants me to sell it…
Dainty pink flowers
Easily identifiable by the leaves that has a shiny upper part and a white velvety bottom part.
More information about the uses and medicinal value of the above-mentioned plants:
The plants can be shrubs, climbers or herbs. No stipules present on the opposite leaves. Inflorescence may often have large leavy bracts.
This is an important familyfor me for various reasons. Firstly, two of my favourite plants occurs on this list, namely Crossandra greenstockii and Blepharis subvolubilis subvolubilis. They were some of the first plants that caught my eye when we moved here. Secondly, two of my favourite caterpillars (Rhanidophora phedonia and Rhanidophora ridens) feed on Thungergia atriplicifolia. Thirdly, they are just so neat and pretty!
Barleria ovata
Often called Grassland Barleria or Bush Viola (Bosviooltjie in Afrikaans). The bright purple flowers adorns the veld late summer to early autumn (Dec-Mar).
Barleria ovata
Blepharis subvolubilis subvolubilis
The toothed leaves are leathery and glossy.
Blepharis subvolubilis subvolubilis
Blepharis subvolubilis subvolubilis
Crabbea angustifolia
Lanceolate leaves.
Crabbea angustifolia
Crabbea angustifolia
Crabbea angustifolia
Crabbea hirsuta
Perennial herb. General name Prickle Head. Inflorescences densely clustered, sessile. Flowers white with a yellow centre, borne amongst large leaf-like bracts with spiny margins
Crabbea hirsuta
Crabbea hirsuta
Crossandra greenstockii
The photos don’t do justice to the brilliant orange-red colour of this exquisite veld flower. Bushveld Crossandra or Rooiblom in Afrikaans.
Crossandra greenstockii
Crossandra greenstockii plant
Crossandra greenstockii inflorescence
Crossandra greenstockii leaves
Crossandra greenstockii
Dyschoriste burchellii
(was Chaetacanthus burchellii). Many green to reddish stems, slightly hairy throughout.
The pink pollen of Dyschoriste burchellii can be seen in the photo
Dyschoriste burchellii
Dyschoriste burchellii
Hypoestes forskaolii
White Ribbon bush.
Hypoestes forskaolii
Possibly a fly from the family Mythicomyiidae on Hypoestes forskaolii
Hypoestes forskaolii
Justicia anagalloides
Abundant on the property. Small plant, small lovely white flowers with pinkish nectar guides.
Justicia anagalloides
Justicia anagalloides
Justicia anagalloides
Justicia anagalloides
Ruellia cordata
Ruellia cordata
Ruellia cordata
Ruellia cordata
Ruellia cordata
Ruellia cordata
Ruellia stenophylla
Ruellia stenophylla
Ruellia stenophylla
Ruellia stenophylla
Ruellia stenophylla
Thunbergia atriplicifolia
Natal Primrose. Abundant on the property. Apparently it is utilized in traditional medicines as a love potion, although I could not get a reference which plant part are used. Green fruits are used for a hair wash. Host plant for Rhanidophora phedonia and R. ridens (Dice Moths). We had a huge veld fire last year and I found no Dice Moth larvae after that. May they return soon… Rhanidophora ridens is rare on our property, while R. phedonia is abundant. I also found and raised two caterpillars of Owlet Moths (Noctuidae). The moths are very much alike, but the caterpillars were not exactly the same.
Thunbergia atriplicifolia
Thunbergia atriplicifolia
Rhanidophora phedonia on Thunbergia atriplicifolia
Rhanidophora phedonia
Rhanidophora phedonia
Rhanidophora phedonia
Rhanidophora phedonia
Rhanidophora ridens
Owlet Moth larva (Noctuidae)
Owlet Moth pupa (Noctuidae)
Owlet Moth (Noctuidae)
Owlet Moth larva (Noctuidae). This one preferred the flower above leaves
Owlet Moth larva (Noctuidae)
Owlet Moth (Noctuidae)
Thunbergia neglecta
Creeper. I have found it in only two places on the farm.
Aylestone 8 