Gerrit van Ede led a small group on an orchid exploration between Christmas and New Year—the first day of the new lockdown. By James van den Heever For a moment, it seemed as though the immediate amended Level 3 lockdown … Read more
No orchid-spotting trip is complete without finding one Disperis, writes Gerrit van Ede. There is one genus that looks so different from a traditional orchid that most people will not recognise it as an orchid: genus Disperis. For those of … Read more
Colloquially known in English as Ice Plants, two genera from this family exist on Verloren Valei. By Gerrit van Ede Ice Plants—or vygies, as most South Africans and, apparently, many New Zealanders, would call them—form part of the scientific family … Read more
Proteas are particularly associated with the Western Cape, but some members of this family can also be found on our high-lying ground. Protea parvula is one of the hidden gems of the Reserve. By Gerrit van Ede When you mention … Read more
Some interesting sightings over two days in late December 2019. At the end of December, Susan Abell and Geoff Lockwood co-led an enthusiastic group on a guided visit to explore the diversity of this little-known gem of a reserve. Saturday … Read more
DNA technology is changing the way plants—and especially orchids—are named, as the cases of Orthochilus aculeatus subsp. aculeatus and subsp. huttonii demonstrate. By Gerrit van Ede In the botanical world, name changes occur reasonably frequently due to a number of … Read more
John Manning has revised and improved the Field Guide to Wild Flowers of South Africa, which was first published in 2009. It is another ‘blockbuster’ of note from this talented author, with 487 pages of text and over 1,100 excellent … Read more
Brunsvigia radulosa is one of the most striking plants at Verloren Valei, writes Gerrit van Ede. When it is in full flower, Brunsvigia radulosa’s large umbrel of 40 or more pink flowers is hard for any visitor to Verloren Valei to miss during the … Read more
Get to know one of the outstanding floral beauties of Verloren Valei. In South Africa, the winter rainfall area of the Western Cape is well-known for the richness and diversity of its flowering plants, which are well documented in the … Read more
Yellow is the dominant colour of the delayed, but long-anticipated, Verloren Valei spring—but the blue or purple of Disa baurii is well worth seeking out. The high grasslands shake off the winter cold late; spring in Verloren Valei tends to … Read more
