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This small section adjacent to the Bushveld section represents
the KwaZulu-Natal Coast and succulents from afrotemperate forest
regions in South Africa. Succulent plants adapted to forest regions
and rocky cliffs of the region have been introduced here. Aloe
barberae is a large arborescent tree aloe. The small form from
the Kosi Bay sand forest has been planted here. Other aloes planted
here from KwaZulu-Natal include: A. greenii, A. pluridens
and Aloe suffulta. These include the Peperomia blanda,
bonsai mint (P. ernstii) and Crassula streyi.
Other noteworthy plants include the bigfoot (Gerrardanthus macrorhizus),
a plant with a massive rounded tuberous root resembling a granite
rock. Other forest succulents introduced include Senecio bryonifolius
and S. macroglossus. They have attractive yellow to cream
coloured flowers. Petopentia natalensis has a huge round
tuber bearing climbing stems and opposite leaves that are coloured
purplish on the lower surface. Gasteria croucheri is popular
among the Zulu and Xhosa and is used mainly for traditional medicinal
purposes. The plant is well camouflaged and difficult to detect
in nature and it is believed that the of camouflage ability of the
plant is transferred to the user.
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