'Nuwejaarsblom' in bloom
2009-01-29
Marguerite Lombard
OUR local mountains have many hidden floral treasures, but none of them were on my mind when we hiked up the Bobbejaan’s River on the last day of 2008. It was only when someone further down the trail shouted “Disa!” that I began to pay attention. “Disas!” was quickly followed by a slightly more disappointed “No, only a gladiolus”, because who does not hike to see the glamorous disa? Yet, there they were, everywhere: trusses of glowing red flowers spilling over rock faces – the Nuwejaarsblom. The New Year lily (gladiolus cardinalis) is also known as the “Waterfall Lily” or “Maid in the Mist” because it is usually found near waterfalls and streams. The plant needs constant moisture, rich soil and some shade. We continued our hike through tall grasses and sometimes flowering fynbos in unseasonably cool weather, eyes keen to spot the Nuwejaarsblom. We were not disappointed. When we stopped for lunch at the base of the towering waterfall at the top of the Bobbejaan’s River, the steep rock faces were covered in red flowers. The red lily with its distinctive white marking is not rare, but seeing it flower in such profusion on New Year’s Eve was akin to getting an unexpected glimpse of Father Christmas’s red coat with its white fur trimmings on Christmas Eve. The Nuwejaarsblom is not that uncommon in the Boland Mountains, but they have retreated to less accessible kloofs. Over the years casual visitors have simply found the lily too tempting to resist, and have picked flowers and collected bulbs to the point that there are simply none left near easy access roads. The Nuwejaarsblom’s flowering period begins in December and continues through January, and a single plant may carry as many as 20 flowers, each about 8 cm in diameter. The Friends of Bainskloof have identified eight Gladiolus in Bainskloof. The Bobbejaans River is a tributary of the Witte River and known for its disas and gladioli. The Cape floral kingdom is the smallest in the world, but home to 8 600 plant species – more than half in the Western Cape.
More
News
|
