Life at KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Since we started work on the PRECIS database, we have been exposed to the rich history of the KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium (NH), along with the modern dynamic vibes of the present. We would like to give you a taste of "Life at NH…"

A is the accessioning of herbarium specimens. This allows data to be easily accessed.
One cannot forget those important collectors Abbott and Acocks!
‘A’ is also for those dreaded alien plants.

B stands for Botany, need we say more?
It is also for Buchanan, a well-known NH collector, who rarely provided proper localities.
Biotic effects play a major role in a plant’s life too!

C refers to the Cycad Expedition (1947) that covered a vast area of the Eastern region of southern Africa.
It represents all of the collectors who contributed to our collection. Many thanks to all of you.
‘C’ is our coastal region, rich in mangrove swamps and dune forests.

D represents the various label descriptions that provide us with data for the specimen database.
‘D’ stands for Durban, NH’s beautiful hometown.

E “In June 1960 the herbarium identified seeds of the water hyacinth, Eichornia crassipes, in a court case.” (Schrire, 1983).
Evans, M.S. (1854–1920), wrote the first volume of ‘Natal Plants’, along with Medley-Wood.
‘E’ is our existing specimens, of which we have approximately 100,000.
Jeff Govender is doing a taxonomic revision of Eucomis L’Hérit.
Ethnobotany by Dr Neil Crouch is a dynamic field.

F are the friendly faces you are guaranteed to bump into at NH.
‘F’ also stands for Forbes H.M.L. (1900–1959), curator at NH from 1940 to 1955. She has done revisions of the genera Psoralea and Tephrosia, and written “An account of the flora of Malvern District” and “The flora of Isipingo”.

G is the grid references and gazetteer, both a nightmare for data capturers.
It is also for the famous duo Gerrard & McKen who collected extensively together between 1862 and 1865. Their specimens provided the basis of the herbarium.

H refers to the vast habitat types in KZN, from the seashores to mountain plateaus.
Then there is our world-famous Hypoxis study by Yashica Singh. A tremendous task, but nothing is impossible with a woman’s touch!

I refers to our Indigenous Flora, which we endeavor to promote, preserve and conserve.
Inanda, an area extensively collected in by the founder of NH. (Read on to find out who!)

J is for Miss Johnson, curator of NH from 1956 to 1963, when she left to get married.

K is KwaZulu-Natal with its three priority conservation areas: Maputaland, Pondoland, and the Drakensberg Alpine.

L is the variety of localities that require grid references. This is not always possible, especially for places, such as Helpmekaar and Tweefontein, when province details are not included in the notes.

M McClean, A.P.D. was placed in charge of the Botanic Station (which incorporated NH) in the middle of 1926. He worked on diseases attacking sugarcane and other crops and collected plant specimens in the Inchanga area.

N represents the new specimens that are continuously brought in by collectors.
The Natal Herbarium was founded in 1882. According to the Index herbariorum: southern African supplement, it is the fourth oldest herbarium in Southern Africa. The herbarium building, housing the plant collection and library, was constructed in 1902.

O is our annual Open Day, when members of the public are shown the various resources available to them at NH.

P is for Poaceae—the family we are computerising at the moment.
Then there is Pole-Evans, I.B. (1879-1968) and Plant, R. (?-1858), who made tremendous contributions to the NH collection.
‘P’ also stands for our plant identification service, which is done mainly by Alfred Ngwenya.

Q stands for the queries we receive from the public, which enhance our learning too!

R is the record of plant diversity that SABONET is striving for. This would be an account of KZN’s extraordinary plant life of over 5,000 species (more than three times the number found in England).

S is our unique Student Training Program that we offer to students from the University of Durban-Westville and the University of Zululand. The course is run twice a year and introduces students to the functions of the herbarium.
And we cannot leave out KZN’s newly acclaimed World Heritage Site, St. Lucia!

T refers to Thode, H.J. (1859-1932), another contributor to the NH collection. He is commemorated in several species names, including Disa thodei Schltr., Kniphofia thodei Bak., Holothrix thodei Rolfe, Erica thodei Guth. & Bol., Manulea thodeana Diels, and Osteospermum thodei Markötter.

U represents Umlaas and Umgeni. Umlaas was the first area proposed for the site of the Botanic Gardens (June 1848), but the Lieutenant Governor refused this. An area on the banks of the Umgeni River was then approved and occupied until it proved to be unsuitable owing to inadequate soil and lack of available water. Eventually a suitable site was found at the foot of the Berea Ridge!
‘U’ stands for undercollected areas, many of which occur in unreachable terrain.
‘U’ is also for unknown localities that make research difficult.

V is for the vegetation types of the province. Just behold the various types: typical coastal-belt forest, Zululand palm-veld, dune forest, mangrove forest, coastal plateau sourveld, and Zululand thornveld, to name but a few!

W At last we take pleasure in presenting John Medley Wood (1827–1915) the father of KwaZulu-Natal botany. He was the founder and first curator of the herbarium. His home, built in 1890, is now our administrative centre. At the time of his death, the Natal Herbarium had about 45,000 specimens, nearly half of which he had collected.
And what a coincidence that our present curator is also to be found at ‘W’: Rosemary Williams! Her hard work reflects itself in the present state of NH, while her perseverance always rubs off on us all.
Then there is Ward, C.J. (1926–) who continues to support NH to this very day. He has been commemorated in Salacia wardii Verdoorn and by the Ward Herbarium at the University of Durban-Westville.

X Interestingly enough, Xysmalobium woodii N.E.Br. is found only in KZN. In addition, it was named after Medley Wood.
Ximenia caffra Sond. var. natalensis Sond. was first discovered in KZN. The beautiful orange fruit is delicious when ripe (Gibson, 1975).

Y stands for “yet to be discovered”! Owing to the high species diversity, amazing vegetation types, and large number of undercollected areas in KZN, it comes as no surprise when new species are discovered!

Z is for Zululand, where the majority of Zantedeschia albomaculata (Hook) Baill. occurs, especially on hillslopes and in valleys.
KZN is also proud of Zaluzianskya natalensis Hochst., which was first discovered in this province; and Zantedeschia valida (Letty) Y.Singh that is endemic to Northern KZN.

This tiny unit with its small complement of staff has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Its halls have been blessed with many devoted contributors who continue to support the herbarium.

—by Nikaya Arumugam and Nontuthuko R. Ntuli

SABONET News 5.1: 15

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 ACOCKS, J.P.H. 1988. Veld Types of South Africa, 3^rd ed. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 57.