Fynbos – Cape Floral Kingdom (South Africa)

In the plant kingdom, there is a virtual geography on how the various species of plants are located. This is defined as the Floral Kingdom, and there are 6 of them.

* Boreal Kingdom (also known as Holartic) occupies 42% of the earth land’s area, and cover Europe, North America and Central Asia
* Paleotropical Kingdom occupies 35%, and is located in much of continent Africa, except for the tip of Africa, which exists another Floral Kingdom called the Fynbos.
* Neotroipical Kingdom occupies 14% and is located in South America
* Australian Kingdom occupies 8% and as its name denotes will be Australia
* Holantartic Kingdom occupies 1% and refers to the bottom part of South America
* Capensis and also known as Cape Floral Kingdom occupies just 0.04% and is located at the
Cape area of South Africa

The definition of the Floral Kingdom will be plant species found within the kingdom, and usually they are endemic to the region. Naturally, across land boundary, the boundary becomes fuzzy, but across natural boundaries (ie. Ocean) the boundary becomes distinct. Typically the kingdom will be formed along the same climatic band from East to West, and isolation in the example of the Australian Kingdom which endemic species include the Eucalyptus and Acacia. (Similar to the animal kingdom, almost all the marsupials are found in Australia.)

(Reference http://www.ecocam.com/nature/biomes.html for the geogrpahical layout of these Flower Kingdoms.

Focusing on the Cape Floral Kingdom (CFK) which I have the opportunity to explore during my recent business trip to South Africa, I climbed the Table Mountain with my South African colleague. The CFK comprises the Table Mountain Range and several other localities in the Cape Area. Our exploaration started from the Table Mountain and end at Cape Point. The other name for CFK is also called Fynbos which is a Dutch name (Fijnbosch) for Fine Bush. The key characteristics is that the plants are simply too fine for lumber or even as foliage for cattles. The soil tends to be alkaline, and the definition of the Fynbos (plant species) will be more on the growth form of the plants. The vegetation tends to be shrub and the leaves are small and thick.

The 4 primary growth forms found here will be
· Proteoids - the tallest shrub growing to a height of 1 to 3 metres. The King Protea (Protea cynaroides) which is the national flower of South Africa belongs
to this group.
· Ericoids - heath like plant
· Restoids - reed like plant
· Geophytes - bulbous plant

The main characteristics of these plants are in the leaves which are sclerophyllous (hard, tough and leathery leaf) and microphyllous (small leaf). These can be seen in the leaves in the photos. Such leaves are also seen in the mangrove species where water retention is important. In the Fynbos, the soil is alkaline and the substrate is of sandstone which does not hold water well in the soil. Picture 1 - Unknown Pretea


Picture 2 - Unknown Ericoids
Picture 3 - Unknown Restoids
Picture 4 - Unknown Restoids
Picture 5 - Unknown Geophytes
Picture 6 - This unknown plant has flower like Daisy, and the leaves when cut across the section forms a triangular shape. Suspect that this belongs to the Geophytes.

Picture 7 - Unknown Bush
Picture 8 - Unknown Plant (possibly another Geophytes)

The cape area is extremely windy, and though the Table Mountain is about 1,010 m high, it is usually covered with a layer of cloud, which the local calls it the Table Cloth. Today is no exception when we started on the climb.

The upper layer of the Table Mountain is made up of sandstone rock, which displayed the various faults and fractures cutting across the compressed sedimentation. Though hard, it is still considered soft, erosion from the wind and rain has caused ravines, valleys, faults to be formed across the Cape Mountain ranges.

Picture 9 - Table Mountain as viewed near the Cable Car Station (the Cable Car Station at the top is at the right hand side of the plateau)
Picture 10 - The starting point begins at Platteklip
Picture 11 - My friend started the ascend

Picture 12 - Notice the cracks and sedimentation structure of the Sandstone
Picture 13 - Sandstone Rock Structure Picture 14 - Boulders strewn slope

Picture 15 - This structure somehow reminds me of the Sphinx head!

Climbing to the top, involved having to pass a small gulley which at this point exhibit very strong wind flow (this can contribute this to the Bernoulli’s effect, where the flow area decreased, the velocity has to increase).

Picture 16 - At about 950 m, we can see the Gully which we have to enter to go to the top

Picture 17 - The Gully with the "Table Cloth"

The highest point on the Table Mountain is the Maclear Beacon standing at 1,073m. Unfortunately, due to the Table Cloth, it was not possible to proceed to this point, and I have to be satisfied with the plateau at 1,010 m. Interestingly, from the foot, the mountain top looks flat, but at the top, this does not seem to be so.

Picture 18 - At the top of the Plateau

Picture 19 - Another part of the Table Top Group. The 12 Apostles seen from Kemp Bay

The next day of the weekend, we traveled south towards the Southernmost part of Continent Africa (Cape Point), this was mentioned in the brochure and a quick glance at the map, somehow indicates that there is another location that is more southerly towards the east of Cape Point! Regardless, along the way, we were priviledged to see the vulnerable African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus). The population of 1.5 million in 1910, has now diminished to about 150,000, due to uncontrolled harvesting of their eggs and guano scrapping from their nesting sites.

Picture 20 - African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus)

Picture 21 - Out of the Ocean

Picture 22 - See the egg that is temporary exposed.

The Fynbos is not able to support big mammal that can graze in this area, and the biodiversity that thrive here, tends to be of small stature. Along the ways, we manage to see lizard (unknown ID), tortoise, Ostrich (Struthio Camelus) grazing in the sand dune/beach, scavenging bird (unknown ID) and Chacma Baboon (Papio ursinus).

Picture 23 - Another view of the Fynbos Fauna

Figure 24 - An unknown tree in the Table Top Nature Reserve. There are very few trees in this region.

Right at the tip of Continent Africa, two oceans meet. The Indian and Atlantic Ocean, and much marine biodiversity thrive here, due to the warm and cold water mixing in this area. At Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, in the right season, one can see the migrating whales (usually the Southern Right Whale), and at the False Bay, I was told that the Great White breed.

Picture 25 - Cape of Good Hope (Many lives were lost in the early exploratory days, for this is also called the Cape of Storm). In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias was the first prominent European to cross this cape, and as usual it was stormy, and he called it Cabo tormentoso (Cape of Storm). But this cape was changed to Cabo de Boa Esperanca (Cape of Good Hope) by the King of Portugal.

Picture 26 - The Southern-most Tip of Continent Africa. Named after the first European Explorer Dias. Many ships were wrecked while trying to round this corner, and the most infamous of them all is the legendary Flying Dutchman in 1641.

Returning to Capetown, we traveled by a different route along the spine of the Table Mountain Group, the Chapman Range. As usual, the sandstone of the mountain range prevailed, by the cracks and faults along the winding roads. With enough warning sign of landslide and falling rocks, one cannot help it but to wish that one get out of the danger zones quickly.

Picture 27 - Another part of the other part of the Table Montain Group. This is the Chapman Peak area, which is very beautiful.
Picture 28 - Amphibian (Unknown Frog) taken at the Table Mountain Nature Reserve

Picture 29 - Ostrich (Struthio Camelus) grazing in the sand dune/beach of Cape of Good Hope
Picture 30 - Unknown Bird
Picture 31 - Troop of Chacma Baboon (Papio ursinus)

The Fynbos like most of the other habitats is under threat from
* Alien Species of Plants that were introduced knowingly by earlier explorer and habitants or unknowingly
* Frequent fire (not related to season) due to careless habit from the human
* Encroachment into this area for agriculture and habitation

Much effort is being done to preserve this area, and hopefully the Fynbos will remain as this is the smallest but most diversify (per area) of all the Flower Kingdoms.

Hike from Teck Whye Park to Tree Top Walk

Teck Whye Park to Rifle Range (Total distance covered 14.4 km)

Training to climb another mountain, I decided to go for an endurance walk this morning. It will be exactly one week since I descended from Mt Kinabalu in Sabah, and my legs are still in recovery phase. Today, my objective was very simple – taking birds.

Previously, I was armed with a macro lens and it was not very useful for taking bird, this time I armed myself with Nikkor 80 – 400 mm lens, and this thing weight a ton after 3 hours of lugging it! But the effort was worth it, as I was able to get close to some of the birds.Delightfully, I managed to captured the Flowerpecker and the Speckled Munia which have eluded me previously because I was not equipped correctly.

As the walk is near to a swampy area, there were alot of dragonflies.

Some of the specimen were seen in my previous blog in Marina East.



Below is a pair of Starling (Black is a matured male and the striped is an immature male)

While walking, I saw a flock of Black naped Oriole (probably immature Oriolus chinensis) flying and landing on a tree nearby. Manage to took this shot before they flew deeper into the trees.



High up on the tree canopy, saw this female Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron vernans).
Noticed some movement in the bush nearby, and darting from flower to flower, I saw this beautiful male Orange bellied Flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonestigma)
Another closed up shot of this bird.

Nearby I saw about 3 of them having a bath on a big frond. This is a immature male Flower Pecker.

Flying about in the tall lallang were these Scaly breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)

Reaching back my home, I saw this Olive backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis) having its lunch with the nectar of this flower.


Managed to capture two different Bulbul.

Below is Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)

Olive-winged Bulbul (Pycnonotus plumosus).

Marina East

Marina East (N1 17.692 E103 53.097) – this plot of land is destined to become some 18 holes golf course. This part of Singapore used to be the sea, but has been reclaimed land. Lies dormant for decades, and it has developed its own ecological system. There are much biodiversity here in terms of plants, birds, insects and reptiles. For mammals, we somehow might have missed them!

Development works have begun, and we were here to enjoy the biodiversity before they disappear under tons of earth for the manicured lawn!

The first plant that I was introduced was the Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum). I was told that the active ingredient of the leaves is used to make the "Po Chai" Pill which is very good to stop tummy problem.

There is a pond where many species of dragonfly dwell. As there are dragonflies, there will be the predators. The predator for today is the Blue Tailed Bee-Eater (Merops philippinus), the other predator but on the smaller insects is the Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica).

The Bee-Eaters were very agile hunters. First they perched on the branches of trees, scanning for suitable preys, and then they launched, and in an aerial acrobat, they will have their meals in their bead. They will then head for another tree, to finish their meal, and the cycle repeat itself.

Managed to capture some of the action, but some of the shots are not very cleared, but you still can make out the pictures.

Pacific Swallows

A very beautiful bird, this is the male Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia).

White Throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)

We came across an abandoned Tailorbird nest. Without thread and needle, the Tailorbird uses the thread of the spider web, and with its bead, it stitches together the leave. The stitching is done, in such a way that the bird and its young can safely ride out the wind and rain. Incredible workmanship!We came across this species of St Andrew Spider (Argiope catanulata), the belly is with golden stripes. It has been mentioned that this species is quite widespread, and flourish in undisturbed swamps or ponds.
The Bee-Eater is not the only predator of dragonfly, spider with their beautifully crafted web will snare the unwary ones, dragonfly and any things that end up in their web. In this case, the dragonfly has been sucked dry by this spider (species unknown).

As mentioned, there is a pond here and many dragonflies were seen mating and depositing their eggs into the water. These are some of the better shots I have taken of the dragonfly.

Below is the Neurothemis fluctuans

Below is the Rhyothemis phyllis
This Red dragonfly (Nannophya pygmaea) is the smalles dragonfly in Singapore. This is the Male Pygmy Dragonfly.

When a land is newly reclaimed, certain species of plants will be the pioneer, the Seashore Morning Glory is one of them, being a creeper, their creep on the ground and its roots provide much support to the soil. With this pioneer plant, then the second wave of plants will settle in, notably the Casuarina with its deep root. Other plants also take root, and compete for space and light. Most of the plants here are unknown to me.


Table Fern (Pteris vittata)

Below I have taken close-up of two species of Mimosa.

This is the common Mimosa (Mimosa pudica) with its distinct Pink Flower.

In this area, we also come across the yellow Mimosa, the flower is very different from the pink mimosa, the leave has a whitish band across the leaf vein!

Fireweed (Erechthites valerianifolia) looks very much like the dandlion.
Beach Bean (belonging to the Legume family)
These tiny purple flower is called Clover-leaved Desmodium (Desmodium sp). Unfortunately, took this shot without placing a ruler for perspective.

Seashore Morning Glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae)
Sea Lettuce (Scaevola taccada)
This Unknown Plant has been identified with the help of LK.

Quote from her

"the solitary flower belongs to the Family: Passifloraceae. This climbing species will produce 2 types of leaf-shapes, a simple pinnate and also a trilobe leaf. It is non-native (imported weed from S. America), name: Passiflora suberosa"
Unquote

It is inevitable that a golf course will be developed here, it is only hope that the pond and trees, and possibly some of the shrubs will be left undisturbed, to be made as part of the course. Better still, as a form of obstacles. I personally do not see why this is not possible!