UWC CAPE FLATS NATURE RESERVE: NOTHING OVERLOOKED

 

A carpet of yellow flowers believed to be locally extinct on the Cape Flats

Steirodiscus tagetes…still here nearly 55 years later after claims of local extinction! This vulnerable plant has proven to be a tenacious survivor in its dwindling habitat. South Africa has over 20 000 plant species, 60% of which, occur nowhere else in the world.  With the highest species diversity, it is unfortunately matched by the highest plant extinction rate; 37 species declared extinct, another 64 believed to be extinct.

According to FynbosLife, Cape Town has ten of South Africa’s 21 Critically Endangered national vegetation types, three of which are endemic to the city. The Cape Flats alone supports more than 1460 different plant species, of which 203 are threatened with extinction and five are globally extinct in the wild.

Habitat loss on the Cape Flats has caused this formerly widespread species to decline.  SANBI’s Red List of South African Plants assessment (2016), revealed that this endemic flower only remains at six to eight locations along the West Coast, which continue to decline, and is currently listed as locally extinct on the Cape Flats.  It is still thought to persist on the False Bay coast near Macassar, despite it last being recorded in this area in 1995.

Five herbarium specimen records exist from the Compton, University of the Western Cape (UWC) and Stellenbosch University’s herbariums dating from 1942 to 1978.

Through the concerted efforts of organisations like CREW (Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wild Flora) and plant enthusiasts posting to the platform i-Naturalist, Steirodiscus tagetes has been recorded at three locations on the Cape Flats, Diep River Corridor, Zandvlei Estuary Nature Reserve and Steenberg between 2018 and 2020.

Major habitats of Steirodiscus tagetes include the endangered Cape Flats Dune Strandveld and the critically endangered Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, both occuring at UWC’s, Cape Flats Nature Reserve.  This 34ha private nature reserve is one of the locations for Steirodiscus tagetes, but has not as yet officially been recorded as a location.  A 1982 Veld & Flora article, mentions how Steirodiscus tagetes was one of the dominant species at UWC, predominating the open spaces below our dunes.  It is still here since its first record in 1967.

With the vegetation on the Cape Flats being so threatened and fragmented, the importance of protected areas on the Cape Flats becomes clear. Steirodiscus tagetes has only been recorded at one other nature reserve, the Zandvlei Estuary, the other being an open space in Steenberg.  UWC’s Cape Flats Nature Reserve is the oldest declared nature reserve on the Cape Flats, proclaimed in 1977.  Conceptualised by UWC academics in the 1960s, it took 17 years for this idea to be actualized, but even then, they knew the importance of what needed protecting. 

Article and images by Laurenda van Breda (Environmental Education & Research Officer, UWC Nature Reserve Unit, University of the Western Cape)

 

 

 

Propagating Willdenowia teres

Propagate Willdenowia teres from seeds: 

Sow seeds in late autumn from April - May.

Fill a seedling tray with milled bark and sand.

Sow seeds in a seedling tray filled with well-draining soil.

Cover seeds lightly with sand.

Water seeds with smoke treated water to stimulate germination.

Place seed in a light-filled room until the seeds germinate.

Willdenowia teres

Scientific name: Willdenowia teres
Family: Restionaceae

The fynbos consists of restios instead of grass. In contrast to most other flowering plants, restios do not have leaves. When in flower, you can tell the male from the female plant. The stems are called culms. The culms are the only green part, which is why they are responsible for photosynthesis.

 

Plant Description

Willdenowia teres are a tall rhizomatous plant that grows 0,3 - 1m high. It has smooth culms with sheaths loosely wrapped around the culms. Usually, culms are smooth and sparsely branched, while sheaths enclose them loosely, and the upper third is membranous and decaying in older specimens. It is dioecious, meaning the inflorescences appear on different plants. The fruit is a smooth, dark brown nut, sparsely pitted with an obvious fleshy green structure attached to the seed. Flowering occurs from July to October. Female plants produce the seeds. From November to June the seeds are dispersed. The ants disperse the seeds.

Growing and maintenance of Willdenowia teres

Plants grow on sandy flats in full sun. It is suitable for various purposes, such as windbreakers, hedges, and pioneer plants. Grow in water-wise gardens and plant in masses.

In the wild, seeds germinate immediately after the onset of the winter rains. There is a short window of about four months for the seeds to establish themselves before the harsh summer.

Propagate from seeds: 

Sow seeds in late autumn from April - May.

Fill a seedling tray with milled bark and sand.

Sow seeds in a seedling tray filled with well-draining soil.

Cover seeds lightly with sand.

Water seeds with smoke treated water to stimulate germination.

Place seed in a light-filled room until the seeds germinate.

 

Sansevieria pearsonii

Common name: spiky Mother-in-law's tongue

Family: Ruscaceae

Origin: South Africa

Plant description: an evergreen, sculptural succulent (fan-like) that can reach 1 metre tall. The leaves are spike-like and cylindrical. It produces a terminal spike-like cluster of creamy pinkish, fragrant flowers that open at night after the large orange berries that birds eat.

Use: it is a great indoor plant, a good container plant outdoors in a water-wise garden and rockery. 

Light and position: It grows best in shade, semi-shade and full sun. 

Water requirements: Water-wise, avoid over-watering as it does not tolerate standing water.

Special care: Make sure to handle the plant carefully because of its pointy leaves.

Pest and disease: root rot.

Propagation: take cuttings or divide the plant at any time of the year. 

Common leaf problems

 

Propagating Cysticapnos vesicaria

This plant grows on sandy flats and slopes, and it climbs between bushes. It can grow in full sun as well as light shade. It is best suited for water-wise gardens. Even though it is not long-lived, it produces beautiful flowers when it blooms.

Propagate from seeds: 

• Sow seeds in autumn.
• Plant seeds in a seedling tray filled with well-draining soil.
• Spread sand lightly over seeds.
• Until the seeds germinate, they must be placed in a light-filled room.
• Germination occurs quickly in one to two weeks. 

 

Cysticapnos vesicaria

Scientific name: Cysticapnos vesicaria
Family: Fumariaceae
Common name: Klappertjies

Plant Description

Cysticapnos vesicaria is an annual vine with a greyish bloom. There are usually ten-drilled leaves with 3-lobed leaflets found in wedge shapes with racemes of 2 lipped flowers. It has pink flowers with broad winglike petals; flaring petals 10mm long. The flowers blossom from August to October. As a result, swollen balloon-like fruits develop, looking smoky pink-grey. The seeds are tiny and lenticular, with a shiny black testa. Cysticapnos comes from the Greek cystis, meaning bladder, and capnos, meaning swollen or bladder-like capsules. 

Growing and maintenance of Cysticapnos vesicaria

This plant grows on sandy flats and slopes, and it climbs between bushes. It can grow in full sun as well as light shade. It is best suited for water-wise gardens. Even though it is not long-lived, it produces beautiful flowers when it blooms.

Propagate from seeds: 

• Sow seeds in autumn.
• Plant seeds in a seedling tray filled with well-draining soil.
• Spread sand lightly over seeds.
• Until the seeds germinate, they must be placed in a light-filled room.
• Germination occurs quickly in one to two weeks.