SHAPED BY SUFFERING The Eastern Cape has produced some of the most enduring and successful garden plants in the world. by Ernst van Jaarsveld, Kirstenbosch ardens originated in the using mulches have helped very sensitive root system which Northern Hemisphere when somewhat.) Other disturbances does not like any disturbance, as Ghumans started cultivating come from the activities of dogs and they originate in areas where they plants that provided nourishment, cats, and domestic animals as well did not have to adapt to trampling medicines, clothing and building as trampling from humans, or grazing disturbances. Some plants material. Gradually gardening for especially from children. however, grow easily in any garden, aesthetic appeal emerged and today To survive in a garden, plants and are able to tolerate human gardening is the most popular hobby have to be 'garden-fit'. Many plants handling, neglect and ill treatment worldwide. There are no fixed rules, (for exampl.e, fynbos species like better than others. 'Garden-fit' people grow what they like and ericas, proteas and buchus) have a plants that spring to mind are enjoy, and gardeners are always spekboom (Portulacaria afra) , ready for a new challenge. But in Pelargonium, hen-and-chickens general it is the plants from (Chlorophytum comosum), abusive backgrounds that have kerkei (Crassula portulacea), become the most enduring and kransaalwyn (Aloe arborescensJ, popular garden plants. and Plumbago. The secret of their success is their ability to Disturbing practices tolerate disturbances, which Gardening is very disturbing to naturally would be grazing or plants. Disturbances include the trampling animals, droughts, cultivation of soil, planting, trans­ frost or poor soil. This ability planting, pruning and trimming, equips them to withstand the adding compost and fertilizers, rigours of growing in a garden. creating ponds, paths and other So if you blame yourself for the structures, breaking these down, death of your erica, relax, it died and cutting and disturbing roots. for other reasons. Invasive plants from neighbouring territories have to be regularly Garden-fit plants from the weeded out, necessitating a Eastern Cape regular disturbance of the soil. In my series of articles* on 'veld The very act of cultivating the soil Above. The marsh rose Orothamnus zeyheri, gardening' (now consolidated admired by all but not suitable for the garden. into a book, Wonderful waterwise benefits the emergence of pioneer Top. The thicket vegetation of the Eastern Cape, plants - usually known to us as cradle of the world's most popular 'garden-fit' gardening), I emphasized how to weeds. (New gardening techniques plants. Photos: E. Van laarsveld. garden effectively with 16 Veld & Flora March 2001 indigenous plants adapted to a specific ecological region in South Africa. Obviously, a plant would prefer to grow in its own region, but there are some indigenous plants that thrive in gardens throughout the world. If a plant thrives in gardens within its ecological region I call it 'locally garden-fit', and if it thrives in each area, I give it a good 'overall garden-fitness' score. Most plants with a high 'overall garden­ fitness' score originate in the Eastern Cape, which can be conferred with the title of 'Cradle of the world's most adaptable garden plants'. Plants from this region have had a major horticultural impact on the world. On the annual Dutch garden and floral market at Alsmeer, plants are rated according to their sales (reflecting their popularity) and many South African plants are high up on the scale. Pelargonium cultivars have been rated for many years as the tops, and colourful pelargoniums grace the balconies of buildings and gardens in cities throughout northern hemisphere. Other popular houseplants from South African include the spider plant or hen-and-chickens Chlorophytum comosum, forest lily Clivia miniata and many of our herbaceous, succulent and bulbous plants. Plants from the Eastern Cape are easy to grow, adaptable, hybridize The world's most popular garden plant, the pelargonium, graces the streets of Europe. easily and can take rough handling. It originated in the Eastern Cape. Photo: E. Van Jaarsveld. They are remarkably tolerant of disturbance, having evolved side by such as Carissa haematocarpa The plant breaks off but the stolons side with grazing animals. In their where only smaller grazers (the remain behind. Sansevieria leaf habitat, grazing and trampling is a leopard tortoise, dassies, bushpigs fragments will rapidly root when major driving force (just as fire is or porcupines) can reach them. left in the ground and form plantlets. the driving force for adaptations in Pregnant onions (Ornithogalum They are one of our most adaptable fynbos, grassland and bushveld). In longibracteatum) and the cliff fire garden plants. the fertile soils of the Eastern Cape, lily (Cyrtanthus montanus] have Most of these plants have a many plant species are highly loose bulblets that re-sprout after degree of succulence so that if they nutritious and in great demand for disturbance. Leopard tortoises are become detached from the mother grazing. This thicket vegetation used very fond of Ornithogalum, plant, they can survive on stored to carry dense populations of larger Crassula and Adromischus. The water and food. That is why they and smaller mammals (including hen-and-chickens, Chlorophytum transplant so easily and grow so domesticated animals). Evolutionary comosum, forms plantiets on a long happily when thrown on the responses to grazing pressure inflorescence, that rapidly root and rubbish heap! I have seen cycad resulted in thorns, bitter sap (a form dense mats. Plectranthus stems dumped on a rubbish heap chemical defence) or camouflage! madagascariensis and P verticil­ starting to re-sprout after a few Some plants even exploit this latus are also mat-forming and re­ years. Aloe arborescens, A. ferox, abuse. Many rely on disturbance in root rapidly after being trampled. A. africana, and many other aloes order to vegetatively reproduce. Mother-in-Iaw's tongue, Sansevieria can be chopped up and thrown in a The spekboom (Portulacaria afra) aethiopica has fibrous leathery corner and will even start flowering sacrifices its branches to grazing leaves that are browsed by rhinos. and put out new roots a year later, mammals, but when the branches The stem and subterranean stolons in spite of lying sideways. Similarly, are dropped they re-root quickly, are brittle, allowing the leaves break the spekboom (Por~ulacaria afra), forming new plants. Gasteria and off easily, leaving the stolons behind thicket spursage (Plectranthus Adromischus leaves are brittle and to re-sprout. (Gasteria and madagascariensis), ivy-leafed readily detach when grazed or Adromischus in contrast have brittle pelargonium (Pelargonium touched, but the leaves or fragments leaves that are adapted to browsing peltatuml, red pelargonium that fall rapidly re-sprout, often in by tortoises.) Have you tried to (P inquinans) and the zonal the protective arms of thorny plants uproot a Sansevieria by pulling it? pelargonium (P zonale) make good, Veld Er Flora March 2001 17 Left. Pregnant onions, Ornithogalum longibracteatum, have brittle bulblets along the stem. When grazed by tortoises, bulblets fall to the ground and grow. Above. A leaf fragment of the ox tongue, Gasteria, that fell to the ground has rooted and formed many plantlets - one of the ways in which a plant exploits abuse and grazing. Opposite page, above left. Haworthias are popular tortoise food. Haworthia cymbijormis is stoloniferous and simply re-sprouts ifgrazed by the leopard tortoise. Below left. A young leopard tortoise, Testudo pardalis. Right. Rhinos graze the mother-in-Iaw's tongue, Sansevieria aethiopica. The leaves are firm and fibrous, but brittle at the base of the plant, so they break off at ground level, leaving the subterranean stolons behind. Photos: E. Van Jaarsveld. 'A botanical garden in this region is a must! , easy to grow garden subjects. baobab (Adansonia digitata). succulent Karoo. The only My collecting experience from the Many garden-fit plants are vegetation unique to the region is Eastern Cape corroborates this. relatively tolerant of insect pests. the thicket biome. You often find a Plants collected were just placed in Have you ever seen a spekboom or curious plant combination - a paper packets without any nursing, mother-in-Iaw's tongue (Sansevieria) Euphorbia next to a Podocarpus and after a few days brought back being eaten by caterpillars, aphids falcatus, or a tufted mesemb like the and potted: all of them perfectly or grasshoppers? I have grown rare endemic Orthopterum coegana surviving my abuse. various forms of spekboom for years next to an epiphytic orchid like Rainfall in the Eastern Cape is and they are the most insect-free of Polystachya pubescens. There is a unpredictable and can occur at any all succulent plants! They offer great range of soils, and plants are time of the year. Long droughts and themselves to larger animals but tolerant of a wide soil range, from flooding are fairly common occur­ deter insect grazers. Agapanthus, the very fertile valleys where the rences. The plants are tolerant of hen-and-ohickens, Ledebouria thickets occur to the mineral-poor drought but can cope with too socialis and Plectranthus madagas­ quartzitic sandstone soil regions. much water: conditions that often cariensis might have the odd Consequently, they can grow in occur in our garden where plants specialist pest, but on the whole, gardens with differing soil-types. are often under- or over-watered. they are insect-free, a quality that Lastly, Eastern Cape plants are These Eastern Cape plants can take makes them ideal for the garden. tolerant of competition, as they are it! (The Eastern Cape succulents are Some plants only perform in able to grow in dense plant commu­ the only non-local succulents that sunshine, others only in shade. nities, sharing their habitat with thrive at Kirstenbosch.