Marloth Park Management Plan. - Nkomazi Local Municipality

VELD MANAGEMENT ON MARLOTH PARK
ENDANGERED, VULNERABLE AND RARE PLANT MANAGEMENT
The maintenance and survival of South Africa’s diverse endemic plant species is in severe
jeopardy due to increased land transformations and modifications. The quantitative extent of
these changes and the effect on the different ecosystems is difficult to determine. For many
years most efforts of conservation have focused on the preservation of individual indicator
species, but increasing emphasize is placed on the preservation of ecosystems and landscapes.
Preservation on the ecosystem level is considered the only process that will ensure the
conservation of habitats together with their constituent species. Threatened species are
considered useful indicators of the health of an ecosystem. Endangered plants are considered
to be species in danger of extinction, while vulnerable plants are considered to move into the
endangered category in the near future. Rare plants are considered small world populations
that are not presently endangered or vulnerable. These rare plants are usually localized within
geographical areas or thinly scattered over an extensive range.
At least one potentially endangered individual of Cyphostemma or Cissus is found on Marloth
Park, but the presence of other individuals has not yet been confirmed. These plant families
are currently under taxonomic revision, but all indications are that this plant is currently not
described. Classification is based on the inflorescence. A single individual (Figure 12) has
been found in the park area between plot number 1813 and 1814, off Seekoei Road.
It is apparent that this plant species has preferences for poor shallow soils and rocky quartz
substrate. The plant is usually single stemmed, and about 0.5 m high. The stem is typical of
the Vitaceae family, green, succulent and has a papery layer that is continually peeling. Also
indicative of this family is the tendrils that are used to attach to other plants and keep it
upright or creeping over other vegetation. Single succulent leaves are found, with a spiral
distribution on the stem, on each enlarged node. The leaves are palmate (five fingered) and
fan shaped, each leaflet being approximately 50 to 100 mm long and 10 to 25 mm wide. The
leaves are highly serrated or toothed, folded semi-closed along the single mid vein, and bend
backwards. The inflorescence resembles fine coral as it turns a bright red before bearing fruit.
The fruits are presumed to be a relatively small, 5 to 10 mm drupe that turns bright red when
ripe.
© Ecological Associates/ Marloth Park 89