Karoo blooms with fascinating flowers

NIEU-BETHESDA NEWS — The Karoo is looking lush and green after the recent rains.

While many only get the opportunity to observe the sea of green grass from afar, those who walk in the hills or in the veld will have noticed an abundance of exquisite flowers that seem to be erupting from the usually dry landscape.

Kitty Viljoen took these photographs of flowers in the Sneeuberg mountains that flank the Plains of the Camdeboo, where, she says, ‘It is like a garden on the mountain!’

Dierama grandiflorum is a rare, endangered indigenous bulb that is flowering prolifically on the mountainous slopes.

Also known as hairbells, these corms are of particular interest to botanists who are concerned about their wellbeing as they are threatened by the destruction of natural habitat in South Africa.

According to Cameron McMaster of the ‘Farmer’s Weekly’, “Dierama grandiflorum is the most distinct member of the genus, with conspicuous, large and widely opening pink flowers.

It was discovered in the 1930s by a Mrs Harries in the Bosberg Mountain near Somerset East. It is one of those rare flowers that most of us only dream about and few have seen in flower in its natural habitat. It truly deserves its name Dierama grandiflorum – a grand flower.”

When Kitty Viljoen took photos of the Ghaap Stapelia grandiflora, she described it as ‘a star being born’.

Known as African Starfish flowers or Carrion flowers, members of the genus Stapelia are characterised by their foul-smelling flowers, reminding one of rotting meat.

The hairs, fleshy colour and surface actually mimic decaying animal matter, cleverly attracting flies which act as pollinators. Stapelia grandiflora is widely but scantily distributed over the Karoo, Free State and towards Port Elizabeth.

This excellent photo shows the long purple and white hairs on this, the tallest of the Stapelia plants.

The sight of the reddish pink ‘ajuinbol’ or ‘tumbleweed’ that graces the veld after rains always take one’s breath away as they interrupt our Karooscape with flashes of brilliant colour.

According to Tim Hoffman, these are of the amaryllidoideae sub-family, more commonly known as the candelabra flower or brunsvigia. These eye-catching bulbs are considered endangered due to housing developments in urban areas. Fortunately for these particular plants, they thrive in the vast open spaces of the Karoo.

Interestingly, the bulb of the brunsvigia is traditionally used as decoctions to enhance the accuracy the dice thrown by local diviners. Their toxic infusions are also used for medicinal purposes. According to local folklore if you stared at the flower long enough you got sore eyes, hence the name ‘sore-eye’ flower.

The more likely explanation for this is that the abundant pollen causes irritation! Another name, ‘rolbossie’ or ‘perdespookbossie’ refers to the inflorescence which tumbles along when dried out and sometimes scared horses! There is an incredible amount of fascinating folklore behind all these blooms.

It is really worth taking a drive out towards Pearson or Nieu-Bethesda and walking through the veld or up a koptjie to see if you can find some of these incredibly interesting flowers that sometimes emerge in the Karoo and add so much to the natural heritage of this area.