Swartland Shale Renosterveld (West Coast Renosterveld) is a critically endangered

Critically endangered

Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...

 vegetation type of the Western Cape

Western Cape

The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.

Distribution

This unique type of Renosterveld

Renosterveld

Renosterveld is a term used for one of the major plant communities and vegetation types of the Cape Floristic Region which is located in southwestern and southeastern South Africa, in southernmost Africa...

 vegetation occurs over the Swartland

Swartland

The Swartland begins some 50 kilometres north of Cape Town and consists of the regions between the towns of Malmesbury in the south, Darling in the west, Piketberg in the north and the Riebeek West and Riebeek Kasteel in the east...

 and Boland areas, on the West Coast lowlands to the north of Cape Town. It extends from north of Piketberg

Piketberg

Piketberg is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. The original spelling of the name was "Piquetberg".The town is in the foothills of the Piketberg mountains, a range of low mountains formed from Table Mountain Sandstone....

, southwards as far as Somerset West. Around 10 percent of this area lies within the Cape Town metropol

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

 (where historically it was the most widespread form of Renosterveld, especially concentrated on the Tygerberg

Tygerberg

Tygerberg is one of the northern suburbs of Cape Town in South Africa. It is also the name the range of hills above the town....

 Hills in the northern suburbs) and, overall, over 90 percent of this vegetation has been destroyed for farming and other development. The remaining patches are threatened by invasive alien plants and further development, making this vegetation type critically endangered.

Description

Undisturbed, it forms tall, open shrubland over undulating valleys and plains. It usually grows in clay soils that are derived from the Malmesbury Group Shales. Termite mounds create large, round hummocks called “heuweltjies”, that are a prominent feature of this vegetation type, appearing as pale spots on the landscape. Indigenous trees and older thicket often occur around these features. The Renosterbos is relatively common in this vegetation, but this may be due to recent overgrazing – the renosterbos is rather inedible and consequently livestock tend to avoid it.

Threats and Conservation

The vast majority of Swartland Shale Renosterveld has been lost (the target of saving 26% is now unattainable, as 90% is already completely transformed for farming). Remnants survive in tiny isolated patches within farmland, usually only on rougher, steeper ground that cannot be cultivated. Only a few pockets are actually protected, and most surviving areas are threatened by invasive alien plants such as Acacia saligna (“Port Jackson”)

Acacia saligna

Acacia saligna, commonly known by various names including coojong, golden wreath wattle, orange wattle, blue-leafed wattle, Western Australian golden wattle, and, in Africa, Port Jackson willow, is a small tree in the family Fabaceae...

, Acacia mearnsii and a variety of other invasive trees, grasses and herbs.

List of some endemic plants

There are a great many plant species within this ecosystem which are totally endemic - existing in this vegetation type and nowhere else in the world. A partial list is included below.

• Leucadendron verticillatum
• Aspalathus acanthophylla
• Aspalathus horizontalis
• Aspalathus pinguis subsp. longissima
• Aspalathus pinguis subsp. occidentalis
• Aspalathus puberula
• Aspalathus rectistyla
• Cliffortia acockii
• Lotononis complanata
• Serruria incrassata
• Erepsia ramosa
• Ruschia patens
• Ruschia pauciflora
• Indigofera triquetra
• Aristea lugens
• Babiana angustifolia
• Babiana latifolia
• Babiana odorata
• Babiana secunda
• Hesperantha pallescens
• Hesperantha spicata subsp. fistulosa
• Lachenalia liliflora
• Lachenalia mediana rogersii
• Lachenalia orthopetala
• Lapeirousia fastigiata
• Moraea gigandra
• Moraea tulbaghensis
• Oxalis fragilis
• Oxalis involuta
• Oxalis leptocalyx
• Oxalis levis
• Oxalis macra
• Oxalis perineson
• Oxalis strigosa
• Pelargonium viciifolium

See also

• Biodiversity of Cape Town
  Biodiversity of Cape Town
  - Floristic region :The city of Cape Town lies within the Cape Floristic Kingdom . - Vegetation types :...
  
  
• List of nature reserves in Cape Town
• Peninsula Shale Renosterveld
  Peninsula Shale Renosterveld
  Peninsula Shale Renosterveld is a unique vegetation type that is found only on the slopes of Signal Hill and Devil's Peak in Cape Town, South Africa. It is critically endangered and exists nowhere else...
  
  
• Renosterveld
  Renosterveld
  Renosterveld is a term used for one of the major plant communities and vegetation types of the Cape Floristic Region which is located in southwestern and southeastern South Africa, in southernmost Africa...