Table of Contents
Early History of Melville Koppies
Fact
File
|
Info |
East Koppies 10 ha |
Central 50 ha |
West 100ha |
1933 Frans Geldenhuys donated
13 ha to the city |
Jhb Council bought other
parts in 1942 |
Proclaimed a nature reserve
in 1959 |
1963 Iron Age furnace
excavated 600 years old |
1968 area proclaimed a
National monument |
2001 National Heritage site |
2003 wheelchair trail |
Birds- 200 species recorded |
Snakes, lizards tortoises |
Insects. |
Flora-548 different
species. 54 exotics |
62 tree species |
16 shrubs |
59 grasses |
411 herbs |
2 red data plants |
Nearly 100 research papers |
School courses for grades 4
and 7 sponsored by Nedbank |
Clubs and specialist groups |
Sa Birdlife does ringing
since 1956 |
African Independent
churches use MK west on Sundays |
Local walk MK East and West |
Tourists |
Early
History of Melville Koppies
|
Date/ time |
Event |
3000 mya |
Large inland lake |
2600 mya |
MK submerged in shallow sea |
2025 mya |
Meteor struck at Vredefort |
2000 mya |
Large granite dome intruded |
1425 mya |
Pilanesburg intrusion |
700-500 mya |
Volcanic activity |
Last 500 my |
4 ice ages |
260 mya |
Large deltas |
200 mya |
forerunners of crocodiles,
birds and dinosaurs |
183 mya |
Gondwana crust cracked
formed Drakensberg |
123 mya |
Gondwanaland split into
continents |
90 mya |
First flowering plants |
65 mya |
Sea levels fall, dinosaurs
die |
26 mya |
Climate became warm and wet |
23 mya |
Benguela current developed |
4.5 mya |
Increasing aridity first
hominids grasslands |
2.8 mya |
Ice sheets spread loss of
arboreal animals |
2.5 mya |
Early man appears |
1.6 mya |
Early stone age |
1.4 mya |
Bifacial tools |
250 kya |
Middle stone age |
20 kya |
Late stone age |
2500 ya |
Iron smelting furnaces |
600-400 ya |
Settlements on
Klipriviersberg |
Pre 1900 |
|
1827 |
Mzilikatzi settled in
Magaliesberg |
1836 |
Vegkop |
1843 |
British annexations |
1851 |
Gerrit Bezuidenhout applied
for title of farm Braamfontein |
1852 |
Gold found at Paardekraal |
1858 |
Granted title transferred
to brother F. J Bezuidenhout |
1862 |
Farm subdivided into 3
parts about 500 morgen each. Southern portion returned to Gerrit Bezuidenhout |
1871 |
Southern portion sold
ending up with ZAR Government |
1884 |
Fred Strubens prospect for
gold |
1886 |
Eastern part ended up with
Dirk Geldenhuis |
1887 |
Western portion bought by
Frans and Louw Geldenhuis. Louw Geldenhuis married
Emmarentia Botha |
1891 |
Further subdivision |
1895 |
Frans elected to the
Volksraad |
1902 |
Louw Geldenhuis school
& Langlaagte Kindertehuis |
Plants
of Melville Koppies
|
Common
Name |
Scientific
Name |
Other info |
Aloe davyana |
Aloe davyana |
o
Succulent o
Leaves upper
surface green dotted with whitish spots o
Extensive
stands in overgrazed areas o
winter |
Ipomoea sinensis |
Ipomoea sinensis |
o
Annual herb
with trailing or twining stem |
Milkweed |
Asclepias fruticosa |
o
African monarch
butterfly larvae lives on leaves, absorbs poison through the latex. o
Stems contain
fibre used for sewing o
Used in traditional
medicine for chest and stomach problems o
Latex used for
removal of warts o
Seed hairs used
as tinder and to stuff pillows and mattresses |
Walafrida densiflora |
Walafrida densiflora |
o
perennial
rootstock o
summer |
Hairy star flower |
Hypoxis hemerocallidea |
o
African potato o
Rhizome used in
traditional medicine |
Common Name |
Scientific
Name |
Other info |
Bent Grass |
Agrostis lachnantha |
o
|
Black Seed grass |
Alleteropsis semialata |
o
|
Stab Grass |
Andropogon schirensis |
o
|
Curly leafed three awn
grass |
Aristida aequiglumis |
o
|
Spreading three awn |
Aristida congesta sp
barbicollis |
o
Low grazing
value o
Pioneer grass o
Increaser 2 o
Good indicator
of overgrazing o
Penetrates the
wool of sheep and angora decreasing their value |
Ngongoni three awn grass |
Aristida junciformis |
o
|
Mountain three awn grass |
Aristida transvaalensis |
o
|
False love grass |
Bewsia biflora |
o
|
Black footed signal grass |
Brachiaria nigropedata |
o
|
Velvet signal grass |
Brachiaria serrata |
o
|
Spider web grass |
Chloris pyncnothrix |
o
|
Feather top grass |
Chloris virgata |
o
|
Broad leafed turpentine
grass |
Cymbopogon excavatus |
o
low grazing
value o
climax o
increaser 1 o
used in Lesotho
to line baskets to keep rodents away |
Giant Turpentine Grass |
Cymbopogon plurinodes |
o
|
Couch grass |
Cynodon dactylon |
o
High grazing
value o
pioneer o
increaser 2 |
Brown finger Grass |
Digitaria brazzae |
o
|
Finger grass |
Digitaria eriantha |
o
|
One fingered grass |
Digitaria monodactyla |
o
|
Purple finger grass |
Digitaria tricholaenoides |
o
|
Broad leafed bluestem |
Diheteropogon amplectens |
o
|
Thread leaved bluestem |
Diheteropogon filifolius |
o
|
Shade ehrharta |
Ehrharta erecta |
o
|
Wire grass |
Elionurus muticus |
o
|
Heart-seed love grass |
Eragrostis capensis |
o
|
Narrow leafed love grass |
Eragrostis chloromelas |
o
|
Weeping love grass |
Eragrostis curvula |
o
|
Gum grass |
Eragrostis gummiflua |
o
|
Footpath grass |
Eragrostis psuedosclerantha |
o
|
Narrow heart love grass |
Eragrostis racemosa |
o
|
Branched love grass |
Eragrostis stapfii |
o
|
Common thatching grass |
Hyparrhenia hirta |
o
Average grazing
value o
increaser 1 o
sub climax o
climax o
most popular thatching
grass |
Blue thatching grass |
Hyparrhenia tamba |
o
low grazing
value o
climax o
increaser 1 |
Natal red top |
Melinis repens |
o
Low grazing
value o
Pioneer o
Sub climax o
Increaser 2 |
Boat grass |
Monocymbium ceresiiforme |
o
Relatively
palatable o
Indicative of
sourveld |
Guinea Grass |
Panicum maximum |
o
Palatable o
Decreaser o
Sub climax o
Climax |
Red autumn grass |
Schizachyrium sanguineum |
o
Low grazing
value o
Climax grass o
Increaser 1 o
Can be used as
thatching |
Red Grass |
Themeda triandra |
o
High grazing
value o
Climax grass o
Decreaser o
Good indicator
of veld in healthy condition o
Is resistant to
fire |
Common Name |
Scientific
Name |
Other info |
Ankle Thorn Enkeldoring |
Acacia robusta |
o
Can be used for
yokes o
Wedges to split
other wood o
Under bark used
to make twine o
Bark used for
tanning and treatment of skin ailments o
Steam from
boiled bark inhaled for chest complaints |
Berg Karee |
Rhus leptodictya |
o
Beer brewed
from fruit o
Medicinal usage o
Sensitive to
severe frost o
Fence posts o
Pick handles
and parts of wagons o
Bowls for
tobacco pipes o
Khoisan made
bows |
Blue Bush |
Diospyros lycioides |
o
frayed roots
used as toothbrushes o
larval food plant
for butterfly Poecilmitis lycegenes |
Blue guarri |
Euclea crispa |
o
Branches used
to beat out veld fires o
Bark and leaves
browsed by black rhino. o
Twigs used as
toothbrush o
Bark and fruit
used medicinally o
Root yields dark
brown dye- used in basket weaving |
Buffalo thorn/
blinkblaarwag-‘n-bietjie |
Ziziphus mucronata |
o
Leaves browsed
by stock and game o
Magic and
medicinal purposes o
Juice used by
San in poison o
Fruit edible
but not tasty o
Wood hard heavy
and fine textured. Suitable for tool handles, spoons and general purpose
timber |
Highveld Cabbage tree |
Cussonia paniculata |
o
Wood light and
soft. o
Once used as
brake blocks of wagons |
Common Hookthorn |
Acacia caffra |
o
Leaves and pods
browsed by stock. o
Some medicinal uses o
Butterflies
Deudorix vansoni and D. penningtoni breed in galls on the branches |
Common resin tree |
Ozoroa paniculosa |
o
Browsed by
elephant and black rhino o
Fruit used for
dying leather o
Resin used for
mending pots |
Drolpeer/ Wild pear |
Dombeya rotundifolia |
o
Implement
handles, yokes and mine props o
Bark used for
fibre and rope o
Bark root and
wood used medicinally o
Bride of the
Bushveld? o
Infusion of the
bark is used to treat intestinal ulcers. o
Decoction of
the bark used to hasten labour o
Flowers used in
a love potion |
Fire Thorn |
Rhus pyroides |
o
Roots used for
medicinal purposes o
Parasitised
occasionally with galls o
Fruit edible o
No spines on MK |
Jacket plum |
Pappea capensis |
o
Heavily browsed
by game and stock o
Fleshy cover of
seeds edible- makes a jam o
Seeds bear oil-
edible, medicinal, soap making |
Karee |
Rhus lancea |
o
Sexes on
different trees o
Bark used for
tanning o
Branchlets used
to make bows o
Fruit makes
beer |
Parsley tree |
Heteromorpha trifoliata |
o
Leaves and root
used medicinally o
Smoke from
burning wood also medicinal |
River bushwillow |
Combretum erythrophyllum |
o
Wood suitable
for general purpose timber o
Carved
household utensils o
Damaged stems
yield a gum for varnish o
Browsed by
giraffe and elephant o
Seeds poisonous? Used to purge dogs of intestinal worms.
Eaten by pied barbets o
Shade tree |
Sagewood |
Buddlea salviifolia |
o
Leaves browsed
by game o
Heartwood once
used for shafts of assegais o
Leaf and root
used medicinally o
Leaves make
herbal tea |
Sugarbush |
Protea caffra |
o
Bark used
medicinally o
Larval food for
butterflies Capys disjunctus and C. penningtoni |
Sweet Thorn |
Acacia karroo |
o
Browsed by game o
Bark used in
tanning o
Bark yields a
strong rope o
Produces an
edible gum used in traditional medicine o
Seeds roasted
as coffee substitute |
Transvaal sumach |
Osyris quadipartita |
o
Probably a root
parasite |
Wild medlar |
Vangueria infausta |
o
Browsed by game o
Fruit is edible o
Roots used
medicinally o
Papillate galls
on leaves |
Wild Peach |
Kiggelaria africana |
o
Acraea horta
butterfly larvae feeds on leaves o
Fruit eaten by
birds. o
General purpose
timber o
Spokes for
wagon wheels |
Wit Stinkhout |
Celtis africana |
o
Larval food for
Charaxes Cithaeron and Libythea labdaca o
Shade tree o
Can be confused
with C. australis, and C. sinensis |
Glossary
|
Flora Glossary
|
|
Term |
Explanation |
Anther |
The
part of the stamen containing the pollen |
Appressed |
Lying
close to or pressed flat against the surface |
Arcuate |
Curved
into an arch |
Axil |
The
upper angle between the leaf and the stem on which it is carried |
Axis |
The
main stem of a plant |
Bilobed |
Divided
into 2 lobes |
Bipinnate,
bipinnately compound |
When
the first divisions (pinnae or leaflets) of a leaf are further divided (see
pinnate) |
Bract |
A
usually small, leaf like structure, in the axil from which rises a flower or
branch of an inflorescence |
Botanic
derivations.
|
Name
|
|
Asclepias |
Asklepius,
god of medicine |
berkheya |
M.
de Berkhey, Dutch botanists |
bonatea |
M.
Bonat, professor of botany at Padua |
castalis |
Name
of a nymph |
chironia |
Centuar,
father of medicine and botany |
commelina |
Brothers
Commelina, early Dutch botanists |
cooperi |
Thomas
Cooper, collected Cape plants in 19thC |
crabbea |
George
Crabbe, English poet |
euphorbia |
Euphorbus,
physician to the king of Mauretania |
galpinii |
Dr
E Galpin, collector of SA plants |
gerbera |
Franz
Gerber, a German naturalist |
harveyanus |
W.
Harvey, who wrote part of the standard work on SA plants, “flora capensis” |
hebenstrei |
J.
Hebesteit, professor of medicine at Leipzig |
hermania |
Paul
Herman, a botanist who collected in Ceylon |
homeria |
Named
after the poet, Homer |
katherinae |
Mrs.
Katherine Saunders of Tongaat |
kniphofia |
J.H.
Kniphof, professor of medicine at Erfurt |
kohautia |
Francisci
Kohaut, inventor and plant collector |
krausii |
Dr
Ferdinand Krauss, an early plant collector in Natal |
krebsiana |
George
Krebs, a German who farmed at the Cape during the 19thC |
lapeirousia |
Phillipe
de la Peirouse, |
lobelia |
Mathias
de Lobel, a Flemish physician and
botanists |
monsonia |
Lady
Anne Monson corresponded with Linnaeus and helped Lee with his book on “Intro
to Botany.” |
moraea |
R.
More, English botanist, but adapted by Linnaeus to honour his wife, Mora |
nelsonii |
William
Nelson, Jhb nurseryman and plant collector |
Oldenlandea |
H.
Oldenland, a curator of the DEIC garden at Cape |
ommaneyi |
Capt
Ommaney collected plants in the vicinity if Johannesburg during Anglo Boer
War |
Pavonia,
|
Don
Jose Pavon, a Spanish botanist who collected in Peru |
pearsonia |
Prof
Pearson, first director of Kirstenbosch |
pollichia |
J.A.
Pollich, German doctor and botanical author |
rehmanii |
Joseph
Rehman, a physician and botanist of Leningrad |
rendalii |
Dr
Rendall of the British Museum |
schinzianus |
Prof
Hans Schinz of Zurich |
sebae |
Albert
Seba, Dutch apothecary , naturalist and writer |
stainbankiae |
Mrs.
Stainbank of Natal |
stapelia |
J.
van Stapel, Dutch physician |
sutera |
J.R.
Suter, professor of botany at Berne |
tulbaghia |
Ryk
Tulbagh, Cape governor |
vellozia |
J.M.
Vellos, monk and naturalist of Rio de Janeiro |
vernonia |
William
Vernon, English botanists who
collected plants in North America |
vigna |
Dominc
Vigna, 17thC Italian scientist |
wahlenbergia |
Prof
of botany at Upsala |
Walafrida |
Walafrida
Strabo wrote a medieval gardening book |
welwitschii |
Friedrich
Welwitsch, German explorer |
zaluzianskya |
Adam
Zaluziansky, Polish botanists |
zeyheri |
Karl
Zeyher, a German who collected plants in SA |
|
|
Latin/Greek/Arabic derivation
|
|
acalypha |
Akalos = unpleasant, aphe =
touch (Greek name for the nettle) |
acaulis |
A = without, caulis = stem |
adoensis |
Place in Ethiopia |
affinis |
Related |
ajuga |
A = without, jugum =
yoke(calyx not two lipped) |
albuca |
Albus = white |
Alliacea |
Alliaceus = with the smell
of garlic, onions |
aloe |
Alloch = Arabic name for
this genus |
amatymbica |
Amatymbae = of the aba
Thembu people of Kaffraria |
andrus |
Male stamens |
antennifera |
Antenna = sailyard, fero =
I bear |
anthericum |
Greek name for stem of
asphodel |
argyrolobium |
Argyros = silver, lobion =
pod |
babiana |
Misspelling baboon |
becium |
Ancient name for sage plant |
blepharis |
Eyelash |
bulbispermum |
Bulb, seed, alludes to
shape of seed |
Callilepis |
Kalos = beautiful, lepis =
scale |
capitatus |
With a knob-like head |
capitellata |
Little heads |
carnosa |
Carnosus = fleshy, pulpy |
cephalaria |
Cephalus = head |
cerophegia |
Keros = wax, pege =
fountain (waxy flowers) |
clavarioides |
Resembling clavaria, a
fungus |
clavata |
Clavatus = club-shaped
(inflorescence) |
clavicornis |
Clava = club, cornis =
horned |
clematopsis |
Klema = vine, opsis = like (certain features
resemble clematis, a climber) |
cleome |
Klein = shut (flowers) |
clerodendrum |
Clero = chance, dendron =
tree (implying of no significance) |
columbaria |
A dove. Refers to colour
forms |
costata |
Ribbed (leaves) |
cotyledon |
Kotule = small cup(alludes
to leaves) |
crassifolius |
Crassus = thick, folium =
leaf |
crassipes |
Crassus = thick, pes = foot |
crassula |
Crassus = thick |
crinum |
Lily |
cucumis |
Cucumber |
cyanotis |
Cyanos = blue, otis = ear |
cynoglossum |
Kunos = dog, glossa =
tongue (refers to rough texture ) |
cyperus |
Kupeiros = Greek word for
sedge |
cyrtanthos |
Kytos = curved, anthos =
flower |
decipiens |
Deceptive |
delosperma |
Delos = exposed, sperma =
seed |
depressus |
Sunken, as if flattened
from above |
dianthus |
Dios = divine, anthos =
flower |
dicoma |
Di = two, coma = tuft at
summit |
dipcadi |
Oriental name for grape
hyacinth |
ensifolia |
Ensis – sword |
eragrostis |
Era = love, agrostis =
grass |
eriospermum |
Erion = wool, sperma = seed |
eucomis |
Eu = handsome, coma = tuft
at top |
eulophia |
Eu = handsome, lohos =
crest |
foliosus |
Very leafy |
gazania |
Gaza = riches, Alludes to
the bright colours of the flowers |
gladiolus |
Sword |
helichrysum |
Elios = sun, chyrssos =
gold |
heliophila |
Elios = sun, philos =
loving |
hemizygia |
Hemi = half, zygos = yoke |
herbaceae |
Soft and green, not woody |
herbeus |
Grass coloured |
hibiscus |
Marsh mallow |
hypoestes |
Hypo = under, estia = house
(bracts cover the calyx) |
hypogea |
Hypo = beneath, geos =
earth |
hypoxis |
Hypo = beneath, oxys = sharp (refers to base of capsule) |
indigofera |
Indigo = blue/violet dye,
fero = I bear |
inornatus |
Unadorned, not showy |
ipomoea |
Ips = bindweed, homoios =
similar |
kalanchoe |
Chinese name |
lanatum |
Lanatus = wooly |
latifolia |
Latus = broad, folium =
leaf |
leonotis |
Leo = lion, otis = ear |
leptophylla |
Leptod = thin, phyllon =
leaf |
luridum |
Luridus = dingy, sallow,
wan |
Luteo-rubrum |
Luteus = yellow, ruber =
red (perianth) |
marginata |
Margined |
menodora |
Menos = force, vigour,
courage |
microcarpus |
Micro = small, carpus =
fruit |
monophlla |
Mono = one, phullon = leaf |
mooiensis |
Of the Mooi River |
multifidus |
Multi = many, fidus =
divided |
myriantha |
Myrias = countless,
anthos = flower |
nidorella |
Nidor = strong smell |
oboratum |
Ob = inverted, ovatus = egg
(egg-shaped leaves) |
ophrydis |
Resembling the orchid,
ophrys |
ornithogalum |
Ornith = pertaining to
birds, gala = milk |
oxalis |
Oxys = acid, als = salt
(leaves acidic) |
oxytropis |
Oxys = sharp/acid, tropis =
turning movement, keel |
pachycarpus |
Pachys = thick, carpus =
fruit |
pallida |
Pallidus = pale |
palustris |
Paluster = growing in boggy
patches |
panduraeforme |
Panduratus = fiddle,
forma = shape |
patens |
Spreading |
pelargonium |
Pelargos – stork (fruit
shaped like a stork’s bill) |
pentanisia |
Penta = five, anisos =
unequal (refers to calyx) |
pentarrhinum |
Penta = five, rhin = snout |
peucadanum |
Peuke = pine, danos =
parched, has a strong resinous smell |
plantagina |
Plantagineus = plantain
like |
polygala |
Poly = many, gala = milk
(certain species are supposed to increase the flow of milk if grazed) |
polygonum |
Poly = many, gonu = knee
(stem) |
psammotropha |
Psammo = sand, trophor =
nurse, nourishment |
pulchrum |
Pulcher = beautiful |
purpurascens |
Turning purple |
pychnostachys |
Pycnos = dense, stachys =
spike |
racemosus |
Spikelets in racemes |
ranunculus |
Rana = frog, i.e. grows in
moist places |
raphionacme |
Raphis – needle, acme =
point |
reticulata |
Like a network (veined
leaves) |
retinervis |
Rete = network, nervus =
vein (latticed leaf sheath) |
rhynchelytrum |
Rugchos = beak, elutron =
sclae (beaked bracts) |
scabiosa |
Scabies = itch. Some
species used as a cure for this itch. |
scabiosifolia |
Scaber = rough, folium =
leaf |
schizostylis |
Schizo = to split, stylos =
column, style |
scilla |
Skyllo = to injure, some
are poisonous |
selago |
Sel = sight, jach =
salutary, from the Celtic, in reference to the supposed medicinal properties
of the genus |
seminivea |
Semi – half, niveus = showy |
semitrifidus |
Semi = half, tri = three,
fidus = divided |
senecio |
Senex = old man (refers to
the pappus) |
sessilefolia |
Sessilis = without a stalk |
setifolium |
Seta = bristle |
setosa |
Setosus = bristly |
setulosa |
Setulosus = minutely bristly |
solanum |
Nightshade |
speciosa |
Speciosus = showy, splendid |
sphenostylis |
Spheno = wedge,, stylos =
column (style) |
stellifero |
Stella = star, fero = I
bear |
stenophylla |
Stenos = narrow, phyllon =
leaf |
striga |
Swathe |
subintegra |
Sub = approaching the
condition indicated, integer – not divided |
tephrosia |
Tephros = ashen (foliage of
many species) |
themeda |
Arabic name for certain
grass |
trita |
Tritus = bruised, rubbed
(hackneyed and common) |
tritonia |
Variable directions taken
by stamen |
tuphos |
Marsh |
verecunda |
Verecundus = modest,
blushing |
vexillatus |
Bearing a standard |
virens |
Green |
viride |
Viridis = green |
Title |
Author |
Field Guide to insects of
South Africa |
Mike Picker, Charles
Griffiths and Alan Weaving |
Field Guide to the Wild
Flowers of the Highveld |
Braam van Wyk and Sasa
Malan |
Field Guide to Trees of
Southern Africa |
Braam van Wyk and Piet van
Wyk |
Guide to grasses of
Southern Africa |
Fritz van Oudtshoorn |
Melville Koppies Nature
Reserve Guidebook |
Johannesburg Council for
Natural History 1962 Revised 1970 |
Sappi tree spotting
Bushveld |
Rina Grant and Val Thomas |
Trees of Southern Africa |
Keith Coates Palgrave |
Southern African trees. A
photographic guide |
Piet van Wyk |
A photographic guide to
wild flowers of South Africa |
Braam van Wyk |
Grasses of the Melville
Koppies |
Norman Baines |
Indigenous grasses on
Melville Koppies Module 10 |
Richard Hall |
The Story Of Melville
Koppies. Module 12 |
Richard Hall |
Pre History relating to
Melville Koppies Module 13 |
Richard Hall |
The People of Melville
Koppies |
Richard Hall |
Iron Age Smelting at
Melville Koppies |
Wendy Carstens |
Man in Africa before the
iron age |
Norman Baines |
Modern History relating to
Melville Koppies module 14 |
Richard Hall |
|
|
Updated
2/26/2009