Bulb enthusiasts were indeed privileged to witness Cameron McMaster’s presentation on indigenous bulbs from South Africa’s East Cape, on the 29th of April at the S.S.& A. Club Ltd in Albury. Cameron and his wife Rhoda, own and run The Croft Wild Bulb Nursery and The Croft Guest Cottages, at Stutterheim, 80km inland from East London – about midway between Cape Town and Durban. In addition, Cameron conducts hiking trips into rugged country as well as collecting seed.
Also Cameron is a world-renowned sheep consultant and was in the middle of a tour of Australian sheep farms, which kept the South African breed of sheep known as Dohne.
Cameron made it clear that he collects seed of indigenous species and doesn’t hybridise. We were led to understand that bulbs are even more prolific on the drier West Coast; however there still appeared to be an enormous variety of bulbs present on the East Cape. The East Cape is mainly an area of high summer rainfall (900mm.) with the topography the reason for considerable variation amongst the wild flora. The terrain can reach up to 1990m to produce alpine conditions. After dry winters, spring growth does not commence until September and grass fires occur most years. Temperatures can vary from –5 to 35 Deg. Celsius.
In two sessions the audience was treated to about 150 slides of indigenous bulbs growing in the wild, spectacular scenery, natural vegetation, native rock art and a few of his nursery.
Starting with several Watsonia ssp., Cameron went on to explain that some Gladiolus spp., grow in cracks between rocks where the Baboons cannot get at them. There are now fewer Leopards to control the numbers of Baboons.
Several species of Dierama, including some darker forms, were seen thriving on mountain slopes. In contrast to Dierama,
some Gladiolus ssp. are highly scented to attract pollinators. One species of Gladiolus (G. mortonius) had been re-discovered some 100 years, after having been considered lost from the plant world, by Cameron and Rhoda.
Moraea ssp. Are September blooming, often after a fire, M. reticulata is remarkable, with its leaves reaching up to 2m long.
Dietes, also
represented in the East Cape, were described by Cameron as a popular
landscaping plant in Australia. Tritonia ssp, although more
common on the West Coast, bloom in autumn in the bush country. Freesia
ssp, not that common her, are found in the forests, while Schizostylis,
now named Hesperantha, favours a location by highland streams. Romulea
ssp., are often found on the tops of mountains and by streams in the
forest.
The Great Kie River, an old boundary of the
Homelands, is also a rich source of hundreds of sites of native rock art, by
the hunter-gatherers from the distant past. The highly detailed art is
sometimes of religious significance.
Moving on to the Amaryllidaceae
family, the Boophone disticha or Century Plant, is used by the
natives, medicinally, to dress circumcision wounds. The slide of Ammocaris
coranica provided a stunning display on open grassland – only blooming
after a fire. The autumn blooming Brunsvigia ssp., prefers rocky
hillsides amongst grass. Some forms have upright leaves, while others have
flattened leaves that lie on the ground. Examples of darker blooms can be found
in the drier areas.
Water collecting in low areas stimulates some
Crinum ssp. to bloom, their seeds lodge in mud and germinate soon
after.
Cameron suggested storing the seeds in a jar
of water.
Haemanthus humilis has sticky seeds,
enabling them to take hold on step cliffs, where they grow. We saw slides of a
form with hairy leaves and one with absolutely enormous leaves, in full shade
on a high cliff. On the other hand Haemanthus carneus and H.
montanus prefer boggy conditions.
Cyrtanthus species are
endemic to the East Cape of southern Africa. They are found in seeps on cliffs
and by streams or marshy ravines, conditions that are difficult to emulate in
the average garden. The seeds of Cyrtanthus are black and winged
for wind dispersal.
The break provided Cameron with the
opportunity to re-load the slide carousel, while the audience enjoyed
refreshments, engaged in conversation and purchased bulbs or seeds.
Continuing with the genus Cyrtanthus,
Cameron pointed out the diversity, some tiny, one with spiral leaves, one
blooming before the grass becomes green, another form with an almond-like
scent, others with narrow hair-like leaves, some located in stream beds, while
some prefer to grow between rocks and some blooming after a fire.
Nerine ssp. naturalises in
damp depressions on the grasslands but are also found on mountains in shallow
soil among rocks and moss. One form has hair-like leaves, N. filifolia,
while another grows at the base of tree ferns. Cameron offered to obtain a
handbook on Nerines, ‘Growing Nerines’ by Graham Duncan, for interested
growers. Few Lachenalia species are found on the east, the miniature L.campanulatum,
which is one, seeds freely and will bloom the following year from seed.
The scented winter blooming Massonia
ssp. has but two leaves with the flowers appearing in the middle. There
are 15 to 20 species of Ornithogalum around the area of Cameron’s
home, possibly these and the Albuca genus will be merged into one
genus in the near future. Various Eucomis spp. can tolerate a
range of conditions, ranging from full sun, shade, grasslands and even on cliff
faces.
Unfortunately, large quantities of Hypoxis
(African Potato) have been removed from the ‘veldt’ (open grasslands), by
indigenous people for medicinal purposes. Spiloxene, related to Hypoxis,
is present on the East Cape but is more common on the west and is always a joy
to find growing in the wild.
It was fascinating to see a slide of a
totally deciduous Agapanthus with a dainty small flower. Related
to the Aloe family, Kniphofia ssp. can be enormous
and some are very rare.
To conclude, Cameron showed us slides of the
nursery operation and further slides of ground orchids, native to the area. Perhaps
many of the gardeners in attendance would now be interested in making a trip to
the East Cape of South Africa.
Stewart Coutts
Benalla, Victoria.