h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A few more photos from my camera-testing trip up the hill to the east of my house!

1. Corkbush, Mundulea sericea. A shrub or small tree with a thick, corky bark. This thick bark protects them against grass fire, a regular occurrence in that patch of veld. Cork bushes are great subjects for gardens, being quite small and bearing beautiful pinkish to purple flowers!

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Munduleasericea1b_zps5ae7f0eb.jpg

2. Here is a close view of the lovely flowers of the Cork Bush. They cover the shrubs in spring. This plant is a member of the Pea family, the flowers and pods giving the relationship away! (It is a ridiculously diverse family here in South Africa.)

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Munduleasericeaflowersb_zps9a3c3990.jpg

3. This is a species of Melhania. It's a member of the Mallow family, another diverse group here in South Africa. They are lovely neat, small shrubs with grey-green leaves, and pretty yellow flowers in spring. I'm not sure which species, a few ones occur over here, perhaps more than one even in that patch of veld. I have never heard of them being cultivated but I think they might make nice garden subjects:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Melhaniashrubb_zps279c0107.jpg

4. Here now is a nice plant phenomenon! Termites are major components of the local wild ecology. Many species over here make large nests, up to 2 m/7' tall. Lots of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians eat termites. And plants make use of them too! Termite nests offer many advantages: the 'air conditioning' instituted by the clever little insects mean that the nests are cool when it's hot outside, and warm when it's cold outside; the termite tunnels aerate the soil; also the bodies of the dead termites are nice protein supplements. So many trees and shrubs like growing on the termite hills. Here you see a Merremia palmata, a kind of morning glory, rampantly growing on one.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Merremiapalmataontermitehill1b_zps6317593a.jpg

5. Here is a close up of the single flower, and a bit of a better view of the twining stems and leaves. The leaves are 'palmate', shaped like a five-fingered hand, hence the scientific name. The trumpet-like flowers are quite pretty. This plant really enjoys growing there, its thin stems are all over the hill.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Merremiapalmataontermitehill2b_zps0cbca043.jpg

6. And finally, another morning glory. This one is in the genus Ipomoea, though I don't know which species. The pink-purple funnel-shaped flowers are visible from far off amidst the short grass. It has similar thin trailing stems to those of the Merremia, but it has heart-shaped leaves covered in short hairs:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/NewIpomoeab_zps9ebedd27.jpg

By the way, the Merremia on the termite hill was actually in a small patch of veld surrounded by suburbs as you can see in the background.

Beautiful! And fascinating!