Flowering profusely in the bare Karoo soil is the Karoo Violet (Aptosimum indivisum), which is known in Afrikaans as ‘brandbossie’ because the burned root mixed with olive oil is used as a salve for wounds. This was photographed in the Wolwekraal Nature Reserve near Prince Albert, which was proclaimed by CapeNature in June 2011. The reserve is administered by Dr Sue Milton-Dean and Dr Richard Dean. It was part of the farm Wolwekraal, so named in the 1800s on account of the probable presence of the Brown Hyaena or Aardwolf. The vegetation there is Prince Albert Succulent Karoo which is more similar to the Little Karoo because of the proximity to the Swartberg.
Photographed by Angela Desmidt with a Sony Digital FE210.
Angela DeSmidt’s letter in Veld & Flora, March 2012, vol. 98(1) helpfully draws attention to the Wolwekraal Nature Reserve at Prince Albert and the valuable work of Sue Milton-Dean and Richard Dean. The letter links the name of the original 19th Century farm, Wolwekraal, to ‘the probable presence of the Brown Hyaena or Aardwolf’.
ReplyDeleteJust in case of confusion, the Brown Hyaena and the Aardwolf are quite distinct animals. The considerably larger Brown Hyaena (Parahyaena brunnea) is primarily a scavenger and a poor hunter compared to their spotted cousins (Crocuta crocuta), although they may prey on small mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. Brown Hyaenas are historically associated with both the Nama and Succulent Karoo biomes, but for a century or more, have been more commonly found in arid areas further north. The much smaller jackal-sized and unfairly persecuted, stock farmer friendly Aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) is exclusively a termitivore, with Snouted Harvester Termites (Trinervitermes spp.) the preferred delicacy. They are widely distributed throughout southern Africa, except in the southern forests.
Was Wolwekraal named after the Brown Hyaena or the Aardwolf? Who knows? Both are possible, but the balance of probability lies with the more common (in the Karoo) Aardwolf.
Tim Attwell,