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philinsydney
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:58 am Posts: 1099
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Drakensburg Mountains
The climate in the mountains inland of the Indian Ocean are wet enough to support an "afro-montane" rainforest. It looks similar to what we would call a cool-temperate rainforest in AU, with relatively small leaf sizes and few vines and epiphytes.
Proteas grow in more open areas:
Scenery:
Snowfall can be heavy at 1,400m yet bangalow palms can still grow:
treefern:
As you head into Orange Free State the climate becomes much drier. This is behind the escarpment in Golden Gate National Park:
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Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:00 am |
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davidmdzn7
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2011 12:01 pm Posts: 412 Location: Maryland, USA
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
Nice pictures. Were any of the trees you saw old growth Afrocarpus? I'd wondered how much of that was left.
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Wed Dec 28, 2016 4:24 pm |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
I never even thought Cussonia could become that large. I thought of it as always like a Schefflera in habit...not a heavy trunked tree. Amazing how much of the dry world is still wetter and warmer then California. Yet,when planted here they do fine.
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Thu Dec 29, 2016 1:54 am |
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david feix
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:54 am Posts: 3206 Location: Berkeley, California
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
Thanks for sharing these photos Phil! Those mountains just capture my sense of wonder, and how I'd enjoy spending time exploring them, but have only been to the Western Cape. Like Stan, I had no idea that Cussonia spicata could get so large. I've got two that are approaching 30 years old and about 40 feet tall, but only lightly branching at this point.
_________________ David Feix Landscape Design http://www.flickr.com/photos/20217462@N02/
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Thu Dec 29, 2016 3:05 am |
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philinsydney
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:58 am Posts: 1099
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
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Thu Dec 29, 2016 7:13 am |
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David Matzdorf
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:06 pm Posts: 5321 Location: Islington, London UK
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
_________________ 51º33'07"N x 0º07'21"W
43m (142 feet) ASL
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Thu Dec 29, 2016 1:32 pm |
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Tom Velardi
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:20 pm Posts: 4337 Location: Kyushu, Southern Japan (33.607N latitude)
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
What a wonderful place. Isn't that tree fern Cyathea dregei?
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Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:10 pm |
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philinsydney
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:58 am Posts: 1099
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
I think so, Tom.
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Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:11 pm |
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Tim B
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 11:56 pm Posts: 417 Location: Seekonk, Massachusetts USA, USDA zone 6b
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
Amazing photos. Thanks for sharing. Did you see any Aloe?
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Sat Jan 07, 2017 1:03 pm |
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philinsydney
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:58 am Posts: 1099
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
Not in the Drakensburgs, but if you refer to two of my earlier posts you will see some aloes: Mpumalanga and Swaziland threads.
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Sat Jan 07, 2017 1:22 pm |
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yeye
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:27 pm Posts: 3 Location: france
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
And encephalartos ghellinckii?
_________________ Olivier
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Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:45 pm |
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philinsydney
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:58 am Posts: 1099
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
I don't remember seeing any cycads on the trip. Not surprising the way we rushed around, but that's package holidaying.
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Thu Jan 19, 2017 9:14 am |
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Troydonovan
Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 1:54 am Posts: 1466 Location: Old Beach Tasmania
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
Great photos Phil Did you see many Encephalartos cycads in your travels
_________________ Tasmania 42 " south Cool Maritime climate
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Fri Feb 03, 2017 9:02 pm |
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philinsydney
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:58 am Posts: 1099
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
Hi Troy, I don't remember seeing any cycads at all.
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Sat Feb 04, 2017 1:11 am |
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Craig Gibbon
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:54 pm Posts: 90 Location: Cork, Ireland
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Re: Drakensburg Mountains
Cussonia can get huge, the species, C sphaerocephala can get really tall, topping 30 meters in height. There are Aloe growing in the mountains, A pratensis, A striatula, A aristata and A maculata and in the lower reaches of the Drakensberg, A arborescens, A ferox and A spectabilis. Thanks for sharing Phil.
Craig
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Sat Apr 01, 2017 3:09 pm |
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