I love pics of plants in habitat and having seen so many stunning photos I thought it would be nice to add a few shots from Swaziland.
I spend a lot of time in the bush but it took some real searching before I discovered a tiny patch of Drosera growing next to a river.
According to the Swaziland National Trust Commission there is quite a variety of Drosera, some Genlisea and Utrics in Swaziland - I have only found 2 aquatic Utricularia species so far
Sorry for the quality of the pics my photography needs some improving...

So here it goes I hope you enjoy the pics:

On the way to the bush.
This is Sibebe Rock. It is thought to be the largest exposed Granite dome in the world.
If you ever happen to visit SD, it makes for an amazing climbing experience.


This is the site where the Drosera grow. As I said it's very small.


I am no expert at IDing Drosera so my guess is it's either D.madagascariensis or D.affinis? correct me if I'm wrong.












any idea on what this could be?






or this?


Regards

Nadja

Nice photos!
Sorry I can't help with the IDs.

Unfortunately I can't help with those IDs either - I'm bad with drosera.

Do you have any photos of Utricularias?

Looks as though there is 2 species pictured. I'm guessing the taller one is D. affinis. The more "rosetted" species looks very much like D. collinsiae, including the short inflorescence.

I'm sure that Andreas F will know for sure.

Always nice seeing African sundews in-situ, thanks for showing the photos. The stem-forming plant could be D. madagascariensis (if not affinis), and the rosetted possibly a form of D. natalensis. Whatever they are, they are interesting looking.

Edit: visiting Swaziland's Flora Database they had D. burkeana, D. collinsiae, D. dielsiana, and D. madagascariensis listed. How reliable the web site is I can't say, but I guess D. natalensis is not correct then.

Regards,

Christer

I have been to Swaziland some 5 years ago and I saw a Drosera on a seepage uphill next to the capital. Lots of nice plants where growing there!

Alexander

Hello Nadja,

Nice to see some photos from Swaziland! The habitat and plant composition reminds me much of the habitats I have visited in the Pretoria area of Northern South Africa. In case you notice some wet sphagnum places near rivers like those, I'm very sure you'll find Genlisea hispidula and Utricularia welwitschii there ;)

The stem-forming Drosera you have pictured is Drosera longiscapa (or D. madagascariensis var. major if you like, that's the same ;)), the samller pale one is D. collinsiae.

All the best,

Andreas

I like the photos, it is always a pleasure to see CPs in the wild.

Thanks for your comments!

@Jefforever: I did not have a good camera at the time so no photos. but when I get a moment I want to go and take some pics.

@Sean Spence: Thanks for your ID of the D.collinsiae.
The flower stalk looked quite short and I didn't realize that it would not grow any further... always learning!

@christerb: The web site is quite good with it's info, there is a great group of people working on it.
Maybe they will still discover D.natalensis as there are still many parts of Swaziland to be explored.

@Alexander Nijman: The plants are actually found just 20 km outside the capital I wonder if it could be the same site

@Andreas Fleischmann: Thanks for your ID! I find it difficult to differentiate all those Drosera species. I think it's amazing how easy it is for you to positively identify them!
On the Swaziland Flora Database there was mention of some Utrics and Genlisea occuring in the lowveld. I look forward to spending my Christmas there so I will definitely look out for them!

Thanks!!
Nadja

Wow, nice plantas and nice habitat too! I'm surprised there were no Utrics.

Thanks for sharing and please keep exploring and showing us pics! :)


Best Wishes,
Fernando

I like the pictures too, really a very nice habitat.

Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,

Dani

Thanks!

I am hoping to photograph more on my next trip, maybe I'll find some Utrics and Genlisea.
The area I am going to has got a different climate and is a lot warmer so it will be interesting to see what I will find there.

Regards
Nadja

Yes, please, this habitat look very interesting

Nadja,

I stayed the in the capital just outside town but within walkingdistance of the center. That hill where I found a Drosera was also visible from the place I stayed. I guess you get plenty of those little wet seepage spots if you look for them. And if you know where to look for nice plants you learn to ''read the landscape''.

Alexander

very very nice!! Coincidentally I was watching a documentary on Black mambas in Swaziland.

I guess I have to look a bit more carefully then! Unfortunately there has been a lot of building since your stay so it could be that those sites have been destroyed...


That would be interesting to watch, do you remember what the program was called?
I am always keen to see documentaries from Swaziland.

Its BBC Natural World: Black Mamba White witch.

Thanks Vraev

Nadja

no problem mate!

Hi Nadja,

thanks for showing those pictures! I hope to see some more pictures from you soon. Can you please say something about the climate of the place you found the plants?

Christian

These plants are found in what is referred to as the 'High Veld' meaning an altitude roughly from 1000m above sea level.
Humidity is quite high, I am not sure exactly what the figures are though.
In summer the temperatures can fluctuate greatly from one day to the next e.g. 32º today - 14º tomorrow depending whether it's raining or not.
But the average is probably between 18º - 25º during the day and about 14º - 18º at night.
We receive a great deal of rain in the summer time, this raining season has been a lot wetter than usual. (I could just as well be living in Scotland right now)

Usually there is not much rain during winter (we often have a drought problem towards the end of the season) and humidity is much lower.
The temperatures can be anything between 6º - 18º during the day and 2º - 8º at night.
These figures are based on my personal observation so it might be good to refer to one of the info sites on the net as well.
I hope this helps.

Regards
Nadja

Hi Nadja,

thanks for the information! I now think i have done everything right with not leaving these two Drosera species in my coldhouse (heated up to 5°C) during winter.

Christian