Wild about plants

The waterfalls along the Wild Coast have been carving their way into the landscape ever since an upwelling of magma pushed the Msikaba sandstone out of the ocean – and the resulting topography of this region is host to 180 species of plants that are not found anywhere else on the planet. The Pondoland Centre of Plant Endemism – which stretches from Hibberdene to Port St Johns, and inland for about 15km – forms an important part of the Maputaland-PondolandAlbany Hotspot, one of just 36 recognised biodiversity hotspots in the world. Pondoland is known for its rich tradition of herbalism and the book Medicinal and Charm Plants of Pondoland, which is based on interviews with some of the most renowned herbalists in the region, is an excellent source of information on indigenous cultural knowledge as well as the flora. The book, by Sinegugu Zukulu, Tony Dold, Tony Abbott and Domitilla Raimondon, is available on the South African National Biodiversity Institute website (sanbi.org) and is sold at some of the Wild Coast’s homestay huts for R100.