HUTTONIAE A RARE ENDEMIC FROM THE FISH RIVER

by Tony Dold, Schonland Herbarium, Rhodes University, Grahamstown and Dez Weeks, Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, Grahamstown

iving in the Eastern Cape MacOwan at the turn of the in full bloom can't be described as has its perks, particularly if century, the harsh and inacces­ anything less than the 'wow L you happen to be interested sible valley bushveld always factor' that is so sought after by in the remarkable flora and vast seems to present new surprises. the Eastern Cape tourism board! unspoiled landscapes. It isn't Recently we came across a good After having realized that the surprising that we keep coming example in the Fort Brown in question where in fact across interesting and beautiful district, some 40 km north east of Nerine and not plants that were last recorded by Grahamstown. A population of (they are each at least 35 em the likes of Schonland, Galpin and about sixty Nerine huttoniae high!), it came as a surprise to

14 Veld &- Flora March 2000 Mrs. C. Hutton and grown in the forecasting their inevitable Albany Museum gardens in 1903. demise. Fortunately in this case It is also surprising that besides the Great Fish River Reserve Cythna Letty's illustration in Complex of approximately Flowering Plants of 45 000 ha includes at least 100 km (Volume 29, plate 1130) we were of the Fish River with ideal habitat unable to find a photograph of this for the long-term survival of striking in any of the N. huttoniae. These particular regional field-guides. habitat requirements are shared Subsequent to Mrs. Hutton's with another rarity from a related collectio'n the next specimen horticultural group, Cyrtanthus deposited in the National smithiae, not surprisingly with Herbarium in Pretoria was in very similar habit and ecological 1948, forty-five years later, also characteristics. from the Fish River. This, together Nerine huttoniae has relatively with the poor representation of large bulbs for the , about the species in the Schi:inland 4 cm in diameter, and up to eight Herbarium, suggests that it is strap-like reaching 25 cm in certainly uncommon if not rare. length. The matures very The current Red data list of quickly and often begin southern African plants (1996) germinating while still attached to lists N. huttoniae as insufficiently the . We have visited known, i.e. taxa suspected but not the population over a two-year definitely known to be extinct, period and have found that the endangered, vulnerable or rare extremely synchronized flowering because of the lack of information. period is very short, one week in Its closest relative is N. laticoma, early March, producing relatively from the northern and large fleshy seeds two weeks later. provinces from Conditions are extremely hot and which it is separated by virtue of most often dry with short sporadic its appendiculate filaments and summer rains, the plants grow in concave leaves. N. laticoma is not full sun and are exposed to listed in the Red data list. extreme day and night tempera­ Nerine huttoniae appears to be tures. During winter (April ­ restricted to the banks of the Great August) the ground is bone dry. Fish River .and grows: in the With this in mind we have alluvia"l s>andy soil that is inten­ successfully cultivated sively...cultivated thanks to its N. huttoniae in containers, in fertility and proximity to water. sandy, well-drained soil in direct It is no coincidence that our sunlight and a severe water populatioh'is on the eastern side regime. It is easy to grow and very of the Fish River. The former beautiful and has the potential to Ciskei had very little extensive be a successful horticultural cultivation in the past and subject although its flowering Nerine huttoniae during a one­ suitable habitats survived period is so short. week period in early March along the banks of the Great Fish River. commercial agriculture whereas Small quantities of have Photo: D. Weeks. the western banks have been been made available to a local under irrigation for decades. The nursery that will undertake to neighbouring previous homeland introduce N. huttoniae into on the other hand has an commercial cultivation. For estimated stocking rate over four further information please contact times more than the recommended The Croft Nursery, P.O. Box 61, rate of the Department of Stutterheim, 4930. (See advert in Agriculture in 1994. From our the classified ). \Wi find only a handful of specimens own observation it seems that in the Schi:inland Herbarium, small stock do not eat Nerine Further reading including Selmar Schi:inland's plants, however they do eat just Flowering plants ofSouth Africa. (1952). type material from Sheldon, also about everything else and large Nerine huttoniae: Plate 1130. on the Fish River. The type numbers of goats often result in Norris, C.A. (1974). The Genus Nerine. The Nerine Society Bulletin 6, 7-31. specimen bears a note by mass erosion and habitat loss. Saunders, R. (1997). in South Schi:inland explaining that the Articles of this nature often draw Africa. Herbertia 52,88-89,186-187. attention to rare and threatened SchOnland, S. (1903). New and little material was in fact from a known plants. Records of the Albany cultivated plant collected by plants while at the same time Museum 1(1), 49.

Veld &- Flora March 2000 15