Flowers of Kruger

[normana53]

One of the great joys of Kruger is that there is much more to see than the Big 5 - flowers, trees, insects, little critters, and much more. Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos!

[Crested Val]

[Crested Val]

[naomi c]

Interesting and alarming facts about Adenium Swazicum:

It is critically endangered since 2008 - 50% of its past habitat has been transformed by sugar cane over three generations resulting in an overall decline of 80% during this period! KNP is a "safe habitat" where an estimated 10 to 20% of the population occurs.

It is extensively exploited for medicinal purposes - the tuber is boiled and the extract sold to cure stomach ailments. (Very destructive method of harvesting.)

Adenium horticulture is a multi-million dollar industry in Taiwan, India and the USA. A. swazicum is a most favoured species for hybridization. Hybrids are sold for up to $1000 as gifts and good luck charms!

[Grantmissy]

Great, or rather stunning, photographs Leeukos, Crested Val - thanks . Interesting subject, I have learned on the forum from a post by someone that there are two types of Impala Lily - one that bloom in the summer and one in the winter months and that fine specimens can be seen in the Malelane area (I hope I am correct as I do not know where it was posted). The Impala Lily’s during winter in Shingwedzi is really . During October months we have also seen many field flowers in Kruger but no idea what they are, we will take better notice in future. Can someone perhaps receommend a field guide on the field flowers of Kruger?

[johanrebel]

You get Adenium multiflorum, the Impala Lily, and Adenium swazicum, the Swazi Lily or Summer-flowering Impala Lily. So not two types or varieties, but two distinct species.

There is also Pachypodium saundersii, the Kudu Lily. As will be apparent from its scientific name, it belongs to a different genus and is thus related to the Halfmens, Pachypodium namaquanum. The latter cannot be found anywhere near the KNP, rather try the Richtersveld.

Johan

[naomi c]

Thank you Grantmissy!

As far as I know there is no specific fieldguide to the wildflowers of KNP - would love to have one if there is!

Sasol has a fieldguide - "Sasol's First Field Guide to Wild Flowers in Southern Africa" and there is another one - "Field Guide to Wild Flowers of Southern Africa" by John Manning.

[sirenada]

This is a beutiful post. Thank you all. This will be my first time at Kruger. We'll stay at B&D and I hope at the begining of August will have some blooming as well.

[hanliemarais]

This is such a fun topic! I've never even took notice of the flowers unless I happen to pass one at reception or at a picnic spot... In 2009 I remember driving around and the corner of my eye caught a pink & yellow fluff - I thought it was a child's hair elastic that for some or other reason got stuck in a tree... Then later that day we stopped at a picnic site and as I walked to our car, my eye caught sight of a bush full of "elastics", it opened up a whole new world...

naomi c - I absolutely LOVE your pic of the Yellow Cleome. You can't remember where about you saw this beauty and you don't know if it's a seasonal flower?

[hanliemarais]

Thank you naomi c
We are in going to Kruger in Oct (first time going that time of the year - we usually go either in Dec or Aug). I've made a mental note to look out for these beauties!!
Have a good day!

[Philip1]

Wow.....All flower pics "Bright and Beautiful"

[Kaapsedraai]

A flower we often see during summer in Kruger: Ground lily or Ammocharis coranica
Ammocharis coranica orGround Lily. It grows in a sandy or even clay-like soil with some water and lots of sun. The leaves tend to lay on the ground, for 30 centimetres. The flowers are pink turning darker and darker. When in flower they form red pockets of colour in the veld. The flowers open from the outside inwards, about an hour before sunset. These bulbs are flowering size and about 8 to 12cm in diameter.

[Kaapsedraai]

Interesting plant growing from a dead tree - Leopard orchid or Ansellia Africana as spotted during Dec'14 on H1-2 near Sand River bridge, Skukuza.
Interesting fact about this plant taken from: http://safari-ecology.blogspot.com/2011 ... chids.html
Leopard Orchids Ansellia africana are the only species in their genus, and occur widely throughout Africa, always growing as an epiphyte (i.e. growing on another plant, but not taking any nutrients from them - so not a parasite). Just like leopards, they're often seen lying on branches of big leafy trees and the flowers are yellow with brownish spots. They're very pretty, and often taken into cultivation (they're now considered threatened in the wild in South Africa, thanks to this trade), but they're also rather interesting ecologically. Three things particularly interest me: firstly, there's an association with ants - plants secrete nectar (not from the flowers though) that a wide variety of ant species drink. In return for the sugar, the plant gets effective protection from other insects.

[Tessa G]

Very interesting facts about both plants Kaapsedraai and as we have discussed in the past, the fact that the park can change so dramatically in a short space of time, it would appear that the Ground Lily must have a very short flowering time, because when we were in that area 2-3 weeks after you, we had no sightings of this flower,

[johanrebel]

Blue Cloak (Megalochlamys revoluta subsp. cognata).

Amongst rocks above the southern bank of the Limpopo River, near Spokonyole. Zimbabwe in the background.

Johan