In 2003 a rubber canoe expedition was undertaken to investigate the vegetation and flora along the Mzimvubu River (also known as the Umzimvubu River) just south of the national road and the coast. Gasterias growing on the north and south-facing cliffs near the confluence with the Mzintlava River, as well as a few other sites along this river and the Msikaba River (2012) to the north, were collected and proved to be difficult to relate to any of the species known at the time. Plants were grown on at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and could be studied in more detail revealing their identity. This led to the confirmation of a new cremnophilous species of Gasteria endemic to the Mzimvubu and Msikaba Rivers in the Eastern Cape, here described as Gasteria loedolffiae.