meadowridge common veld and flora sept 07
TRANSCRIPT
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8/14/2019 Meadowridge Common Veld and Flora Sept 07
1/4September 2007 Veld&Flora142
Meadowridge CommonAn update on the wildflowers of this precious remnant of
Cape Towns lowland fynbos
by Fiona Watson, Botanical Officer,
Friends of Meadowridge Common
Lowland fynbos
Since my article The wildflowers ofMeadowridge Common appeared in the
March 2001 issue ofVeld & Flora, my
species list of flora on the Common has
increased from ninety to 120. We have
identified some Red Data species, andmade some interesting observations on
the flowering of the kukumakranka,
Gethyllis afra, and on the effects of
early and late winter rains and a fire on
the flora of this precious lowland fynbos
remnant.
Red Data Species
Meadowridge has three Red Data
Book species: Moraea elsiae, Diastella
proteoides and Lampranthus reptans.
These have been registered with CREW(the Custodian of Rare and Endangered
Wildflowers) who lent me their GPS to
provide them with their exact positions.
They are being monitored regularly for
any changes.
Moraea elsiae which was consid-
ered rare or possibly extinct by Peter
Goldblatt in his book The moraeas of
South Africa is particularly threatened.
There are five plants on the Common.
For the first time since I started observ-
ing them seven years ago, two of the
plants set seed after flowering between
5 November and 5 December in 2006.
I had cross-pollinated two flowers, and
having observed a bee on one of the
plants, assume bees are the pollinator
of the others. At the end of December I
harvested six seeds which I handed over
to Graham Duncan of Kirstenbosch. It
would be wonderful if they are viable
and germinate so that more of the
plants can be propagated.
Diastella proteoides was originally
represented by three plants on theCommon, but one was mowed down by
City Council employees who acted out-
side their instructions for the day. The
good news is that plants have also been
found on Kenilworth Racecourse, close
enough physically for a DNA match.
We hope to introduce more plants from
this source. Meanwhile we endeavour to
keep the established plants as clear as
possible of invading sorrel (Rumex) spe-cies, Cynodon dactylon (kweek grass)
and Pelargonium capitatum.
Our five clusters of Lampranthus
reptans appear stressed during sum-
mer, their leaves turning reddish, but
they soon revert to green and grow
actively when the winter rains come.
Their golden yellow flowers form attrac-
tive carpets in the spring. One of the
clusters was dug up by some teenage
boys collecting soil to make bicycle
ramps on a path, but they were soon
confronted by me and some others and
persuaded to cease such activities.
ABOVE: Ursinia anthemoides.
BELOW: Diastella proteoides.
BOTTOM LEFT: Moraea elsiae.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Lampranthus reptans.Photos: Fiona Watson.
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Kukumakrankas under pressure?
Gethyllis afra, which grows on the
Common, is a beautiful white kuku-
makranka with a red median strip
under each of its 3 cm long outer peri-
anth lobes. The three inner lobes are
thinner and without any markings. I
observed a large bee visiting a flower to
collect pollen, and wondered if it was the
pollinator. I have been recording weath-
er patterns in relation to its flowering
and submitted some data in 2006 to
the South African National Biodiversity
Institute (SANBI). My data* (shown on
the graph opposite) over the two years
supports Chris Daniels observations on
kukumakrankas in his article, Are the
days of the kukumakranka numbered?
in the March 2007 issue of Veld &
Florawhere he wrote that passing cold
fronts accompanied by a definite drop
in atmospheric pressure, irrespective ofwhether there are showers or not, have
a definite effect on the production of
flowers during the flowering season.
ABOVE LEFT: A bee collecting pollen from thekukumakranka, Gethyllis afra .
BELOW LEFT: Gethyllis afra leaves.
BELOW: Gethyllis afra flowers after a drop inatmospheric pressure, regardless of rain.Photos: Fiona Watson
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ABOVE: Oxalis obtusa. Photo: Fiona Watson
Fire on the Common
Fire is necessary approximately every
fifteen years for the healthy growth of
fynbos, and we tried hard and long
to organize a controlled burn for the
Common. Authorities, however, were
unsupportive since the Common is
situated in an urban area. But on 10
December 2003, a fire occurred on one
section of the Common, possibly started
by vagrants and extinguished by the
Fire Brigade. It was not the areas we
had envisaged for a fire, or the favoured
time of April but nevertheless it proved
to be a blessing. The displays ofOxalis
obtusaand Ursinia anthemoidesin late
winter were stunning. A new plant of
Aspalathus callosaappeared near where
another had died two years previous-
ly, and Struthiola ciliata flourished asdid Trachyandra ciliata. Leucadendron
salignum and Pelargonium cucullatum
re-sprouted. Asparagus capensis and
Asparagus rubicundus showed no ill
effects, but we did lose one plant of
ing in June, August and September.
The effects on our bulbous plants
was minimal in most species on the
Common, with magnificent displays
of Sparaxis bulbifera and species of
Asphodelaceae, Hemerocallidaceae,
Colchicaceae and Iridaceae doing well
in both years. Our seepage area in
spring 2006 was, however, already dry
and there was therefore no Holothrix
villosa, Disa bracteata or Triglochin
bulbosa present. A pleasant, yet still
worrying appearance, however was
that of only one plant of Pterygodium
catholicum. Once present in signifi-
cant numbers, it had been absent for
several years. Its oil-seeking bee pol-
linator is apparently also decreasing in
numbers. Is it approaching extinction?
There was a significant differencein the emergence of dicotyledons
depending on seed for their annual
appearances. Those flowering late in
the year were reduced in numbers or
even absent. In the dry seepage area,
Aspalathus retroflexa subsp. bicolor.
Another fortunately re-appeared in
2007. The damp-loving Geissorhiza
aspera lost their sheltering shrubs
and did not re-appear. The number of
Wahlenbergia capensis, which flowers
in October and November, was much
reduced the following year.
After the fire, the invasive Eragrostis
curvula, which had been smothering
the area, started to re-sprout. Three of
us set about removing it, taking care to
re-plant any bulbs found tangled in its
roots. This proved to be a very success-
ful venture in clearing the area, and the
few remaining grass plants and seed-
lings are removed on an ongoing basis.
Effects of early or late winter rains
In 2005 the winter rains contin-ued well into spring with most fall-
ing in June and August, and some
in September. In 2006, they peak-
ed earlier with the highest figure in
May and much less than 2005 fall-
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BELOW: Fiona Watson withAmaryllis bel-ladonna (March lillies) on MeadowridgeCommon. Photo: Sybil Morris.
Monopsis debilis and Drosera trinerva
failed to flower. Elsewhere there were
very few Wahlenbergia capensis or W.
hispidula. Erica subdivaricata flowered
earlier than usual in October but then
again at its normal time of January. I
hope the seed of those absent species is
still viable in the soil and will germinate
again in 2007.
Meadowridge Common, as a small
remnant of the Cape Sand Plain Fynbos,
needs protection. Its legal status at
present in terms of the Cape Town
Metropolitan Open Spaces (MOSS) is
designated Non-negotiable and High
value for two parts of the Common,
and the Bergvliet/Meadowridge Local
Structural Plan recommends that both
areas be designated Non-negotiable.
We are in the process of applying
for Provincial Heritage Status on the
grounds of botanical value even thoughit seems to have no archaeological sig-
nificance, which counts against us.
An encouraging development is the
deployment of a Cape Town Nature
Conservation Reserve Manager to
work with the Friends of Meadowridge
Common in its management and reha-
bilitation. We have been allocated these
services for one day each week.
* For a list of the figures on which the
graph is based, please contact the editor [email protected].
ABOVE:Aspalathus retroflexa subsp.bicolorflowers from October toDecember.Photo: Fiona Watson
RIGHT: Fiona Watson with Amaryllisbelladonna (March lilies) onMeadowridge Common.Photo: Sybil Morris
BELOW LEFT: Sparaxis bulbifera pro-vides magnificent spring displays.Photo: Fiona Watson
BELOW RIGHT:Erica subdivaricata.Photo: Fiona Watson