"Mountain of Healers"

First Published 1999 in  Plantlife No 21, p.16-18

By JC McMaster, The Croft, PO Box 1053, Stutterheim 4930

A strange title, you may think, for a publication devoted to indigenous plants. Yes, it is relevant - I am referring to Mt. Thomas, the elegant peak in the Amatola mountains which, together with its bigger companion Mt. Kubusie, towers above that most beautiful of lakes, mecca of trout anglers, Gubu Dam near Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape. It was named after St. Thomas Aquinas by the first missionaries. It must have had an older name. It was at a prestigious angling event at Gubu Dam recently that I was asked "How did Gubu get its name?" I made it my business to find out.

The name Gubu is of course far older than the dam. It is the name of the crystal clear stream that has its source at the base of Mt. Thomas and the name of the valley in which the dam was eventually built. Gubu is a Xhosa name for "drum" - a drum made of skin and beaten by the ancient Xhosa healers and witchdoctors in pursuance of their magic. Legend has it that Mt. Thomas was the domain of these healers who used to ascend its slopes to gather muti to strengthen and protect the warriors of the tribe. It was a mountain particularly rich in the plants and herbs that supplied the ingredients for their healing brews, and for casting their spells. It is said that plants grow there that occur nowhere else. It was alleged to be a mountain frequented by lynx, leopard and wild cat, hunted for their magic qualities. These cats were very crafty, and so it was only the witchdoctors who ventured there, beating their drums as they communicated with the spirits. The drum beats would roll down the slopes and echo through the valley, and so the area became known as GUBU - the place of the drums. The local folk sometimes refer to the mountain as "Intabeni ugqirha" - mountain of healers. They still recall that the last witchdoctor to frequent the mountain died on its slopes about fifty years ago. His name was "Jwara" and it is said that he was killed by a mythical beast who did not like humans intruding on the mountain. He may of course have died of exposure in a snow storm.

The connection that the Mountain of Healers has with Plantlife, is the richness of its flora. I was awestruck many years ago when I first climbed its gentle slopes at the amazing profusion and variety of the wild flowers that occur there. As years went by and I returned regularly, I grew to know them better, learned their names, and photographed them. In fact, one summer season many years ago I went up every month of the year to record every flowering plant on film throughout the season. It is a small mountain - its slopes can be traversed in a morning. It is possible to make checklists, and yet impossible, because each year you return, you find something new.

It was the proteas that first of all impressed me - as one emerges from the forest on the way up, if it is February, one is greeted by masses of the tiny Protea simplex in bloom. This is probably the southernmost range of this common summer rainfall Protea. It is deciduous by nature, each summer sending up new simple shoots from the woody rootstock, at the tip a bud will develop and eventually bloom. For over a century the southern slopes of Mt. Thomas have fallen within the Kubusie forest reserve, and have been well preserved by the Department of Forestry. Just across the boundary fence on land that has been grazed by sheep for a hundred years, not a solitary Protea simplex has survived - illustrating dramatically how vulnerable are many of our indigenous flowers to grazing livestock.

A closely related Protea, the intrepid sugarbush Protea caffra, grows nearby, developing into a small tree and sometimes hybridising with P. simplex, giving rise to individual plants intermediate between the two. Further along on the slopes that descend down into the Keiskamma River basin there are masses of beautiful Protea subvestita - a species that can grow into a tree of up to four metres. A number of species of Erica also occur on the mountain,the most dominant being white flowered Erica brownleeae, which if not burnt regularly can form dense thickets. So common is this Erica on the Amatolas that I was suprised earlier this year to get a call from Erica specialist Gerhard Kirsten, asking to be guided to its habitat. He had never seen it before, and I had much pleasure in introducing it to him. Another lovely little Erica, almost obscured by the thick sward near the summit is Erica alopecurus with its dainty upright stems densly massed with tiny pink flowers. There are a number of other small Ericas. These species, more reminiscent of the Cape fynbos, together with the small restios that are a common component of the mountain grassland, confirm the view that this part of the Eastern Cape is in a zone of transition between the winter and summer rainfall floral regions, and so is particularly rich in species.

My first expedition to Mt. Thomas many years ago was in quest of Cyrtanthus suaveolens, a rare amaryllid which is confined solely to these mountains. A plea from friends from the Cape for material known to them only by its botanical description sent me forth. The first sight of hundreds of exquisite small umbels of dull cherry red flowers with a cinnamon scent, emerging through the still brown winter grass in early October, kindled in me an interest in wild bulbs that was soon to become a passion. Subsequent expeditions to the mountain revealed the majestic Cyrtanthus huttonii - a large showy species with bright deep orange flowers emerging from deep maroon bracts. This spectacular Cyrtanthus occurs in damp seepages and mountain streams, flowers in early January and is also confined to the Amatola and Katberg ranges. Cyrtanthus tuckii is the third member of the genus on Mt. Thomas, where it flowers in November, but it is very scarce.

The very earliest bulb that flowers on Mt. Thomas is an obscure little sweetly scented ground level Massonia. It has a puffball-like composite white inflorescence emerging from between two dark green flat leaves in early August. It is very difficult to spot between the tufts of taller grass. Only years after finding it for the first time, did I discover its identity. When I showed it to Alison van der Merwe, a botanist who is revising the genus, she was excited to see for the first time in her life this rare East Cape speciality - Massonia jasminiflora. It is the thrill of finding these exquisite gems, so small and intricately formed, and so specialised in their habitat requirements, that makes the study of wild bulbs so rewarding.

The very last bulbs to flower at the end of summer are the Nerines. There is a damp seepage at the top of a ravine near the summit which is carpeted with the showy Nerine angulata in late April and early May. They are uniformly pink in colour, but rarely one comes across a pure white sport. These nerines which have fairly thick filifoliar leaves are high altitude plants. At the base of the mountain near streams, one finds the smaller Nerine alta with its fine tightly rolled petals and straplike leaves.

Sharing this seepage where N. angulata grows are a number of other bulbous plants. In early February there are masses of the deep pink Tritonia discolor which, although they have rudimentary corms, spread chiefly by means of rhizomes. Hesperantha huttonii, a very delicate plant flowers in March followed in April by its more robust cousin, Hesperantha pulchra. The showy pink Chironia krebsii also prefers damp spots.

Scattered over the better drained slopes of the mountain are a large variety of other flowers. Two types of Agapanthus bloom all over in midsummer - the large and showy deep blue Agapanthus praecox which grows particulary amongst the rocks in the kranses, has been especially named as the Mt. Thomas form. Near to it one finds the diminutive Agapanthus campanulatum, with short leaves and dainty flowers carried on stems scarcely 30 cm high. Strangely there is absolutely no evidence of hybridization between these two species. Similarly, some species of Kniphofia flower at the same time. The robust bright red-orange Kniphofia uvaria is so different from dainty little Kniphofia triangularis, both of which flower in mid-summer. Kniphofia parviflora, a very different looking poker with its its small pale yellow flowers all carried on on side of the stem, is also common on this mountian.

Dieramas number but one - Dierama pulcherrimum - but it is a particularly robust tall form with large pink flowers, blooming in autumn. The spectacular yellow Moraea reticulata with its very long floppy leaves, sometimes up to 1,5 meters, is also common, flowering in autumn. Urginia capitata is an interesting bulb that flowers in early spring. Gladiolus are represented by Gladiolus dalenii and Gladiolus ecklonii. Mt. Thomas is also a habitat for the endemic grey-leaved Watsonia amatolae which blooms profusely with large, dense, deep pink flowers on short stems at Christmas time. This is truly one the most beautiful watsonias.

Some years ago I observed a number of very small, thin watsonia-like plants on a rocky dolerite outcrop on Mt. Thomas, but no sign of flowers. Two bulbs I collected flowered the following year in my garden - short and small, pale orange blooms of a watsonia I had never seen before. Peter Goldblatt , author of the definitive work on watsonias, who visited us last year, is of the opinion that it is an undescribed species which required some investigation.

In a brief survey such as this there are so many flowers that go unmentioned. Just to name a few more - many varied species of Hypoxis, the spectacular parasitic Harveya that turn jet black as they wither, spreading Crotalarias with their little yellow flowers, Diaschias, many Pelargoniums, yellow and pink Helichrysums, and not forgetting the lovely deciduous grass aloe, Aloe ecklonis, the small neat Scilla nervosa, Albucas, Ornithogalums, Ledebourias and so many more.

December , January and February are the months to observe ground orchids on Mt. Thomas. They are both spectacular and numerous. I recall one February when up the mountain with friends from the West Cape, we stopped for rest. We could hardly find even a place to sit without crushing an orchid bloom. Disa pulchra is the showiest orchid on the montain, blooming in December, it has an inflorescence of large pink flowers on slender stems up to 60 cm. Other Disas I have observed are D. patula, D. brevicornis and the diminutive D. sagittalis clinging to crevices and ledges on steep rocks. The tiny Schizochilus zeyheri with their strangly drooping bright yellow inflorescences, are common on the very steep thickly grassed westerly slopes. Other orchids I have recorded are Habenaria falcicornis, Holothrix orthoceras, Pterygodium hastatum, P. leucanthum Brownleea macroceros, B. recurvata, Satyrium neglectum, S. longicauda, S. parviflorum and S.sphaerocarpum and many more.

Alas, my story does not have a happy ending. After 1994 the folk who live in the Keiskamma Hoek valley below Mt. Thomas, cut the fences of the forest reserve and drove thousands of cattle into the forests and mountains that had so carefully been conserved for more than a century. Poachers with packs of dogs and automatic weapons now prey on the game with impunity. SAFCOL, who now have control of these forests and mountains are almost powerless to act. It is a very sensitive political issue, the politicians having a vested interest in permitting the destruction to continue.

The degradation of the mountain flora and fauna has been very severe. I have a crisp, clear photograph of an orchid that we cannot identify - not with the help of books or experts. In vain have I returned to the locality on numerous occasions - overgrazing has killed them, and much else besides*. The joy and awe we experienced on Mt.Thomas when it was pristine is now replaced by despair and sadness at the destruction that has taken place. Why is it that, with this new culture of avarice and entitlement, some people are intent on destroying their natural heritage and robbing their children of something precious that nature has taken millions of years to create? There are very few places in the Eastern Cape where the wealth of our flora is still preserved. Mt. Thomas, ancient haunt of healers and muti gatherers and so well studied by pioneer botanists, is no longer one of them.

Should we not try invoke the help of the spirits of the healers and drum beaters of old to caste their spellsonce again to protect this wonderful mountain from the present depradation.

* This orchid was eventually re-discovered and identified as Satyrium bracteatum – but a rather different form to the usual one.

MOUNTAIN OF HEALERS

Mt. Thomas, the elegant peak in the Amatola mountains, and its bigger companion Mt. Kubusie, tower above that most beautiful of lakes, mecca of trout anglers, Gubu Dam near Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape. Alas, these mountains are now being degraded and are themselves in desparate need of healing. Mt. Thomas was named after St. Thomas Aquinas by the first missionaries. It must have had an older name. It was at a prestigious angling event at Gubu Dam that I was asked "How did Gubu get its name?" I made it my business to find out.

The name Gubu is of course far older than the dam. It is the name of the crystal clear stream that has its source at the base of Mt. Thomas and the name of the valley in which the dam was eventually built. Gubu is a Xhosa name for "drum" - a drum made of skin and beaten by the ancient Xhosa traditional healers and witchdoctors in pursuance of their magic. Legend has it that Mt. Thomas was the domain of these healers who used to ascend its slopes to gather muti to strengthen and protect the warriors of the tribe. It was a mountain particularly rich in the plants and herbs that supplied the ingredients for their healing brews, and for casting their spells. It is said that plants grow there that occur nowhere else. It was alleged to be a mountain frequented by lynx, leopard and wildcat, hunted for their magic qualities. These cats were very crafty, and so it was only the witchdoctors who ventured there, beating their drums as they communicated with the spirits. The drum beats would roll down the slopes and echo through the valley, and so the area became known as GUBU - the place of the drums. The local folk sometimes refer to the mountain as "Intabeni ugqirha" - mountain of healers. They still recall that the last witchdoctor to frequent the mountain died on its slopes about fifty years ago. His name was "Jwara" and it is said that he was killed by a mythical beast who did not like humans intruding on the mountain.

The Mountain of Healers is exceedingly rich in floral wealth. I was awestruck when I first climbed its gentle slopes many years ago at the amazing profusion and variety of the wild flowers that occur there. As years went by and I returned regularly, I grew to know them better, learned their names, and photographed them. In fact, one summer season many years ago I went up every month of the year to record every flowering plant on film throughout the season. It is a small mountain - its slopes can be traversed in a morning. It is possible to make checklists, and yet impossible, because each year you return, you find something new.

It was the proteas that first of all impressed me - as one emerges from the forest on the way up, if it is February, one is greeted by masses of the tiny Protea simplex in bloom. This is probably the southernmost range of this common summer rainfall Protea. It is deciduous by nature, each summer sending up new simple shoots from the woody rootstock, at the tip a bud will develop and eventually bloom. For over a century the southern slopes of Mt. Thomas fell within the Kubusie forest reserve, and were well preserved by the Department of Forestry. Just across the boundary fence on land that has been grazed by sheep for a hundred years, not a solitary Protea simplex has survived - illustrating dramatically how vulnerable are many of our indigenous flowers to grazing livestock.

Further along on the slopes that descend down into the Keiskamma River basin there are masses of beautiful Protea subvestita - a species that can grow into a tree of up to four metres. A number of species of Erica also occur on the mountain. These species, more reminiscent of the Cape fynbos, together with the small restios that are a common component of the mountain grassland, confirm the view that this part of the Eastern Cape is in a zone of transition between the winter and summer rainfall floral regions, and so is particularly rich in species.

My first expedition to Mt. Thomas many years ago was in quest of Cyrtanthus suaveolens, a rare amaryllid which is confined solely to these mountains. A plea from friends from the Cape for material known to them only by its botanical description sent me forth. The first sight of hundreds of exquisite small umbels of dull cherry red flowers with a cinnamon scent, emerging through the still brown winter grass in early October, kindled in me an interest in wild bulbs that was soon to become a passion. Subsequent expeditions to the mountain revealed the majestic Cyrtanthus huttonii - a large showy species with bright deep orange flowers emerging from deep maroon bracts. This spectacular Cyrtanthus occurs in damp seepages and mountain streams, flowers in early January and is also confined to the Amatola and Katberg ranges. Cyrtanthus tuckii is the third member of the genus on Mt. Thomas, where it flowers in November, but it is very scarce.

A vast number of different species of bulbs and other wild flowers occur throughout the summer on Mt. Thomas. The very last bulbs to flower at the end of summer are the Nerines. There is a damp seepage at the top of a ravine near the summit which is carpeted with the showy Nerine angulata in late April and early May. They are uniformly pink in colour, but rarely one comes across a pure white sport, the only place that a white version of this species has ever been observed.

Scattered over the better drained slopes of the mountain are a large variety of other flowers. Two types of Agapanthus bloom all over in midsummer - the large and showy deep blue Agapanthus praecox which grows particulary amongst the rocks in the kranses, has been especially named as the Mt. Thomas form. Near to it one finds the rare, diminutive Agapanthus comptonii, with short leaves and dainty flowers carried on stems scarcely 30 cm high. Strangely there is absolutely no evidence of hybridization between these two species. Similarly, some species of Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia) flower at the same time. The robust bright red-orange Kniphofia uvaria is so different from dainty little Kniphofia triangularis, both of which flower in mid-summer. Kniphofia parviflora, a very different looking poker with its its small pale yellow flowers all carried on on side of the stem, is also common on this mountian. I was amazed to see that in the Red Data Book this species is listed as "extinct"! Well those who thought they would never see it, Mt. Thomas has been its refuge.

Different species of Harebells, Gladioli and Watsonias occur on Mt. Thomas. The beautiful grey-leaved Watsonia amatolae which blooms profusely with large, dense, deep pink flowers on short stems at Christmas time occurs only in the Amatola mountains and no where else. Some years ago I observed a number of very small, thin watsonia-like plants on a rocky dolerite outcrop on Mt. Thomas, but no sign of flowers. Two bulbs I collected flowered the following year in my garden - short and small, pale orange blooms of a watsonia I had never seen before. Peter Goldblatt , author of the definitive work on watsonias, identified it as Watsoni bachmanii, a small species hitherto only known from a small population near Lusikisiki in the Eastern Transkei. What an amazing extension of range of a little known and very shy flowering Watsonia! I have yet to find it anywhere else in the Eastern Cape.

In a brief survey such as this there are so many flowers that go unmentioned. However, the ground orchids cannot be overlooked. December, January and February are the months to observe ground orchids on Mt. Thomas. They are both spectacular and numerous. I recall one February when up the mountain with friends from the West Cape, we stopped for rest. We could hardly find even a place to sit without crushing an orchid bloom. Disa pulchra is the showiest orchid on the mountain, blooming in December, it has an inflorescence of large pink flowers on slender stems up to 60 cm. There at least twelve other species of orchid that flower at various times during summer.

Alas, my story does not have a happy ending. After 1994 the folk who live in the Keiskamma Hoek valley below Mt. Thomas, cut the fences of the forest reserve and drove thousands of cattle into the forests and mountains that had so carefully been conserved for more than a century. Poachers with packs of dogs and automatic weapons now prey on the game with impunity. SAFCOL, who now have the responsibility for these forests and mountains are powerless to act. It is a very sensitive political issue, the politicians apparently having a vested interest in permitting the destruction to continue.

The degradation of the mountain flora and fauna has been very severe. The joy and awe we experienced on Mt.Thomas when it was pristine is now replaced by despair and sadness at the destruction that has taken place. The habitat of these rare and beautiful plants, many of which are traditional medicinal plants, is systematically being destroyed by grazing livestock. For the last six years the vegetation has been cropped to its roots. No seeding or regeneration has taken place, which will result in the certain extinction of all but the hardiest and most unpalatable plants. The trampling of the vegetation and the erosion that has resulted from overgrazing is very severe.

These mountains are far too steep and sensitive to be able to sustain abuse of this magnitude. Why should the precious heritage of the Xhosa people in a place that, because of its history and folklore, should be regarded as sacrosanct, be systematically destroyed for the sake of a few cattle owned by a small minority. The mountains are far more valuable as a repository of our natural floral heritage and as a sponge to supply water to the streams and fountains and ultimately the rivers we depend so much upon.

Why is it that, with this new culture of avarice and entitlement, some people are intent on destroying their natural heritage and robbing their children of something precious that nature has taken millions of years to create? There are very few places in the Eastern Cape where the wealth of our flora is still preserved. Mt. Thomas, ancient haunt of healers and muti-gatherers and so well studied by pioneer botanists, is no longer one of them.

Should we not try invoke the help of the spirits of the healers and drum beaters of old to caste their spells once again to protect this wonderful mountain from the present depradation.