In search of Pelargonium scabrum

Some people put on their skirt suit and heels to go to work. I open my cupboard, look for the oldest thing I own, and put that on instead. Then I head off into the hills... But the absolute best thing about my work (botanical research) is all the beautiful places I get to go to that I would otherwise never experience, the strange and wonderful plants we discover and the quirky people I meet along the way. I could fill a blog about these folk, but I digress.

Of Poorts and Passes

Meiringspoort on the N12

Below follow a few pics from my recent trip through the Western and Eastern Cape in search of a particular Pelargonium (often incorrectly called geraniums domestically). The project was to look at phenotipic variance across different ecological parameters such as climate. I was just contracted to find, measure and bring back plant samples and seeds (the fun bit!). We had a bunch of historical GPS points from herbarium collections which I updated and then contacted landowners for permission to collect on their property (with the correct Cape Nature permits of course). One can't always get permission before a trip so sometimes you just have to rock up, flag down farmer man in his combine harvester, or smile sweetly as you interrupt his sheep shearing. Then you need to ask about the season, enquire about the rainfall, eat some scones, drink some tea, comment about the heat - and be on your way. After all that, sometimes they will tell you that that hill you're talking about is actually on the neighbours farm and you must go and have some more tea and rusks with Oom Doep who can tell you about some other botanists who once came to look for something too. Failing finding the farmer man, or having a few hours to spare, you hop over a farm fence and hope not to be chased off with a rifle and some dogs.

Col. Lapies and the soft pink flower

I have to relay just one story about a military base I had to collect on. Luckily I went to the trouble of checking in to headquarters before I jumped the fence because the area my GPS was pointing me to was the weapons testing ground (I found this out later). Anyway I checked into the office where a very large and closely shaven man looked me up and down. As if they don't often get young girls in Land Rovers looking for flowers on the base, right? I explained my needs in my best afrikaans but he said I needed to speak to Col. Lappies and there was only one place with a little bit of cell reception - and that was leaning out of the canteen window! So, leaning out of the small canteen window, in my broken afrikaans I described to Col. Lappies the soft pink/white flowers and rough leaves of the 'hoenderbos' and why it was important that I find them on his base. I was granted permission so long as I took one of the military frequency hand radios and I got my own call sign and a lesson on how to correctly address the base. Just as well, because while I was up on the hill I started hearing shots being fired and had to radio in and ask what was going on (this is how I know it is the shooting range and weapons testing area.) They organised me a ceasefire and I scampered off the mountain. After all that though, I couldn't even find the plants I was looking for - sometimes old herbarium records are not that accurate or someone has copied a digit incorrectly, or the plants simply don't grow there any more - it's all part of the adventure.