BOTSOC NEWS JULY 2004

Hi all plant lovers

Winter is with us. However, the shortest day lies behind us and we can look forward to the first signs of spring such as swelling red buds on the swarthaak (Acacia mellifera).The other day on Hofmeyer Walk I even saw some very precocious new flower buds on an Elephantorrhiza suffruticosa.

MONTHLY TALK:
On 17 June Dr Erika Maass of UNAM presented a very well attended talk on "Parasitic Plants - HYDNORA - the ingenious genus”. The talk was richly illustrated by a powerpoint presentation and by preserved Hydnora specimens. It was fascinating to be provided with details of these almost completely subterranean plants, which are not easy to detect and which few of us would be able to find without having been made aware of their existence. Some of the Hydnora grow on the roots of Euphorbia species and can best be located by visiting Euphorbia bushes towards sunset when the intense faecal smell of the Hydnora is most noticeable.
Another Hydnora species grows on Acacia roots. One of the dry specimens brought along by Helmut zur Strassen was found on the root of an Acacia karroo in Jan Jonker Rd, where it had lifted the interlocks in the yard as well as the tiled bathroom floor. Even though the fresh rhizome can be cut like an apple it is strong enough to crack and lift concrete!

FORTHCOMING MONTHLY TALK:

GARDEN WALKS
The garden walk on 12 June was presented by Hildegard Becker and attended by 6 participants, two of which signed up as new members. They were the first guests to be entertained at the new tables and benches under some shady trees by a little river in the garden.

The walk on 3 July, guided by Luise, attracted a few very attentive participants who also signed up as members – a warm welcome to all our new members! Some of the yellow Aloe hereroensis and one quiver tree were still in flower. The golden brown fruit of the wild pear (Dombeya rotundifolia) were a lovely sight.

DONATION

NEXT GARDEN WALK

Dieter Ludwig has kindly agreed to introduce us to the birds in the Botanical Garden,
while Luise Hoffmann will be on hand to give information on trees and shrubs.

Bring your binoculars and your bird book!

As usual coffee/tea, muffins and rusks will be on sale at the picnic site in the garden.

Date: Saturday, 7 August 2004
Time: 8:00
Place: Entrance to Botanical Garden, 8 Orban Street

OUTINGS:

ERONGO
On the weekend of 20 – 23 May Botsoc members and friends went for a very successful outing to the Erongo mountains. Apart from enjoying some time in the bush, the aim of the trip was to find Trema orientalis or pidgeonwood, a shrubby tree of which there were several specimens in the herbarium but which during the six years of data gathering for the tree atlas had neither been reported nor collected. The specimens came mainly from the Erongo area while one was from Kaokoland.
Thanks to Kurt’s connections we were allowed to spend as much time as we liked on farm Kranzberg from where we had seen a Trema specimen in the herbarium. We spent a wonderful afternoon admiring the large old omumborongbongas (Combretum imberbe) and the many ana trees (Faidherbia albida) in the Khan River on Kranzberg. The ana trees were in flower filling the air with their delightful unobtrusive scent. On a Grewia leaf we discovered a beetle the size of a lady bird but marked with an intricate pattern of iridescent gold, red, green and black surrounded by a family of 7 tiny replicas of herself.
We camped on a low hill above the river from where we thoroughly enjoyed the stunning view of the Erongo mountain range spread out before us in the evening light and again at sunrise. The next day we hunted in vain for Trema but found Commiphora dinteri instead, which most of us had never seen. Fortunately this many-stemmed shrub of about 2m height still had two or three dry leaves by which it could be identified.
We spent the next night in the tributary of the Khan River south of Usakos, where we collected seed from a lovely Sterculia africana, which proved to be a rather itchy undertaking because of the irritating hairs lining the edge of the large follicles of this tree. On our way through Usakos we bought some cool drinks at the “SinBin” just beyond the 4-way-stop on the road to Swakopmund. On the corner of the 4-way-stop just east of the “SinBin” there is a lovely Maerua schinzii, which is quite common in and around Usakos.
On Saturday we continued to the Ameib Ranch, from where most of the Trema specimens in the herbarium originate. The owner, Mrs Kögl, made us very welcome and provided us with a guide to one of the sites mentioned on the herbarium specimens. Hardly had we climbed out of our vehicles when Coleen spotted a Trema “at the foot of huge granite rocks”, as noted on almost all these specimens. The granite rocks were huge indeed and very steep so that for a while it seemed that we would not be able to get to the plant to cut specimens and to take detailed photographs. Eventually John did find a reasonable access route and coaxed Coleen along to collect and to take photos.
Trema is a lovely plant, something like a cross between a Grewia bicolor and a Celtis africanis. The leaves are asymmetrical, serrate, bright green above but much paler below with small clusters of tiny greenish flowers and later of tiny black berries in each leaf axil. The trunk is fairly smooth and grey. Once one knows what to look for, the intense green colour of the fairly large leaves and the way the paler undersides of the leaves show up in the wind make it quite easy to spot.
Subsequently we found three more such plants, always between large granite boulders some more accessible than others. During a later visit to Ameib Ranch I found a Trema seedling right among the big boulders at Bull’s Party.
We spent the rest of the day walking to Phillipshöhle and from there to Bull’s Party, admiring the many different corkwood species on the way: Commiphora glaucescens, C. glandulosa, C. virgata, C. tenuipetiolata and at least one other species which we could not identify because all the leaves had already fallen. Another quite common plant was the wild medlar (Vangueria infausta, Afr. wilde mispel, H. ondenya) a large shrub with distinctly opposite velvety leaves, grey or cinnamon coloured bark and apple-like fruit about 2.5 cm in diameter with a persistent calyx. Another interesting find was Strophanthus amboensis, a clambering shrub with shiny green, distinctly opposite leaves, and large opposite pairs of follicles. The leaves are folded along the midrib. When ripe, the follicles burst open to release a cloud of silky parachutes with tiny dark seeds attached. The flowers are yellow star-shaped with five long thin petals.
Mrs Kögl generously invited us to stay on the well equipped camp site, where we enjoyed a very welcome hot shower. After spending Sunday morning in the bush, we had a last delicious lunch under some towering ana trees in the Khan River on Ameib before returning to Windhoek.

THE NEXT OUTING will be on 26 – 29 August 2004
to farm Urikos of Johan & Nikki Steyn. Urikos is situated along the Tsauchab River close to D 854 about halfway between Solitaire and NamibRand. The distance is about 325 km via Remhoogte and 260 via Rehoboth. Use of the camp site near the homestead will be for free. Reportedly there is a spring and sizeable forest of sycamore figs (Ficus sycomorus) on that farm. There are hiking trails and 4x4 trails and the Naukluft is only 30 km from there.
As Urikos borders on farm Neuras of Mr & Mrs Walkden Davis there would be the possibility of a tour of the wine making facilities and the four fountains on that farm plus tasting the excellent wine. The cost of the wine tour is N$45 per person for about 1.5 hrs. A bottle of Merlot costs N$110 and is excluded from the N$45. This wine otherwise is only available at NamibRand and at Zebra River Lodge.
Please mark this date in your diary and let Luise know before 5 August 2004 if you wish to participate.

WEBPAGE
Visit our web page : John Irish manages this page and writes: “Comments, suggestions, criticism welcome! I'd like to invite everybody to write and send whatever you want and I'll add it to the site. There is literally *no limit* to what the Botanical Society can put there: photos, articles, newsletters, identification keys, news items, advertisements, event notifications, things published elsewhere, anything you can think of can go up there. It's your corner of cyberspace. Please fill it. And to all readers: please visit the website!" So your contributions are very welcome!

Another interesting website well worth a visit is www.plantzafrica.com
Each week three new indigenous plants are featured as “Plant of the week”. Colourful photos accompany the detailed description and advice on cultivation from the National Botanical Institute’s expert horticulturists and botanists. There is also information on SA’s vegetation, aliens and articles of Veld and Flora. Enjoy!

NEWS ON THE POPULAR “HOFMEYER WALK”
The Hofmeyer Walk has been very aptly renamed by the City of Windhoek “Aloe Trail” and the department of Parks and Gardens has set money aside to clear some of the aliens along the walk and to repair the storm water damage.
The Botanical Society had investigated involvement in a project to make the Walk more accessible for all city dwellers. However, this would be a full time project and Botsoc just does not have the manpower or the hours to run with it. The Botanical Society has pledged itself to support the National Botanic Garden and the monthly garden walks and talks are as much as we can cope with at the moment.
This should not stop anybody else from taking on the project, which seems to become much like the Avis Dam Project, and we invite all interested parties to contact either Luise or Ellen for more information. We have the names of a group of people who regularly use the Walk and who might be interested in assisting with a project.

TRACKING DOWN INDIGENOUS TREES IN WINDHOEK.
At this time of the year trees are difficult to identify, but now is the time to plant new trees.
Indigenous trees are available from:

The Forestry Nursery at Okahandja
Contact: Andries 081 260 7864
Unless you are in a great hurry, Andries can usually arrange for the trees to be brought to the Directorate of Forestry, 6th & 7th floor of City Centre Building opposite Frans Indongo Gardens, corner Bülow Str/ Stübel Str. where you can then collect them. They are quite small but cost N$8 only and usually grow fast. In fact they are said to do better than larger trees which do not like to have their root system disturbed. Contact Henry.

Please note the change of address: the Forestry Offices have moved to the centre of town!

To go to the Forestry Nursery at Okahandja, turn off the B1 right after the bridge over the Okahandja River and follow the road to Gross Barmen. Turn off at the sign board to the left after you have crossed the railway line.

There is also a Forestry Nursery at Grootfontein
Tel: 067 242128 / 242129 Fax: 067 242106

NEWS FROM THE NBRI

Silke Rügheimer (Bartsch), researcher at the Institute and officer in charge of the National Botanic Garden, recently attended the 2nd World Botanic Gardens Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Silke presented a lecture on local efforts to propagate Hoodia for conservation and exploitation purposes, supported by the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network (SABONET) Project. Her participation at the congress was fully sponsored by Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).

She has recently commenced with a two-month Botanical Gardens Management Course hosted by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the United Kingdom. Her participation on this course is being sponsored by the Millennium Seed Bank Project. This is a highly regarded, international course that addresses all issues pertaining to developing and managing a botanical garden. We are hoping that she will return to Namibia with some innovative ideas on how to develop our own facility, providing more attractions and services to our members, and the general public.

THE BOTANICAL GARDEN IS OPEN TO VISITORS MONDAY – FRIDAY
Take your visitors for a walk in a natural setting and in safety in the Botanical Garden. Spend some peaceful moments on the benches provided at secluded spots. Bring your bird book and your binoculars as the garden houses a rich and varied bird life. “Dassies” (rock hyraxes) and other small mammals can also be seen.

Entrance is free but please sign the visitors‘ book at the reception, as an increase in numbers of visitors supports the curator of the botanical garden when applying for funding from her ministry. A list of the botanical names of all plants occurring in the garden (including the common names for a number of the most well known plants), as well as flyers on the objectives of the NBRI, the Botanical Garden and the MAN-Muller Library are also available at the reception.

SUBSCRIPTION FEES
Please be reminded to update your subscriptions as soon as possible.
Membership is N$50 for individuals,
N$80 for families
N$10 for students
and covers the period from the AGM (September) to AGM.
Bertchen and Jeanne handle the membership fees and lists of Botsoc and are the persons to contact.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
As from July onwards, paid-up members of the Botanical Society will no longer be charged when participating in the guided walks.
Charges for non-members will be N$10 as in the past.

Enjoy the outdoors in the cool winter weather while looking forward to the first signs of spring which can be expected in August.

With kind regards

Luise Hoffmann
luisehof@iway.na

And

THE CORE OF ACTIVE PLANT PEOPLE (CAPP)
Ellen Gudde stpc.ge@iway.na
Kurt Schlenther (275300) capella@iafrica.com.na
Diana Thompson raftom@mweb.com.na
Barbara Curtis 202-2021 treeatl@mweb.com.na
John Irish (2022040) jirish@mweb.com.na
Silke Bartsch 202 2014 silker@mweb.com.na
Bertchen Kohrs earthl@iway.na
Jeanne Scott jeanne@mweb.com.na>
Gillian Maggs-Koelling 2022020 gmk@mweb.com.na
Edna Mohrmann edna@matitisafaris.com