Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Plant communities of the rocky outcrops of the northern Orange Free State, South Africa

  • Published:
Vegetatio Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An analysis of the plant communities of the rocky outcrops of the northern Orange Free State is presented. Relevés were compiled in 42 stratified random sample plots. Care was taken to sample vegetation which is representative of vegetation in pristine condition whenever possible. A TWINSPAN classification, refined by Braun-Blanquet procedures, revealed seven distinctive plant communities. A hierarchical classification, description and ecological interpretation of the plant communities are presented. One order, three alliances, six associations and two sub-associations are newly described. The restricted distribution of the plant communities, together with the species richness and high species diversity recorded within these communities, makes it imperative that the conservation of these plant communities receives high priority.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acocks J. P. H. 1953. Veld types of South Africa. 1st edn. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Afr. no. 28. Government Printer, Pretoria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Acocks J. P. H. 1988. Veld Types of South Africa. 3rd edn. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Afr. no. 57. Government Printer, Pretoria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barkman J. J., Moravec J. & Rauschert S. 1986. Code of Phytosociological nomenclature. Vegetatio 67: 145–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bosch O. J. H. 1989. Degradation of the semi-arid grasslands of southern africa. J. Arid. Env. 16: 165–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bredenkamp G. J., Joubert A. F. & Bezuidenhout H. 1989. A reconnaisance survey of the vegetation of the plains in the Potchefstroom-Fochville-Parys area. S. Afr. J. Bot. 55: 199–206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bredenkamp G. J., Bezuidenhout H., Bosch O. J. H. & Janse van Rensburg F. P. 1991. A comparison of vegetation classification from wheel point & total floristic data sets from a South African grassland. Bot. Bull. Academia Sinica 32: 187–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuls, E. R., Bredenkamp, G. J., Van Rooyen, N. & Theron, G. K. 1992. The physical environment and major plant communities of the Vredefort-Kroonstad-Lindley-Heilbron area, northern Orange Free State. S. Afr. J. Bot. (In press).

  • Gibbs Russell G. E., Reid C., Van Rooyen J. & Smook L. 1985. List of species of southern African plants, Edn 2, Part 1. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Afr. no. 51. Government Printer, Pretoria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs Russell G. E., Welman W. G., Retief E., Immelman K. L., Germishuizen G., Pienaar B. J., Van Wyk M., Nicholas A., De Wet C., Mogford J. C. & Mulvenna J. 1987. List of species of southern African plants. Edn 2, Part 2. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Afr. no. 56. Government Printer, Pretoria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill M. O. 1979a. TWINSPAN—a FORTRAN program for arranging multivariate data in an ordered two way table by classification of the individuals and attributes. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill M. O. 1979b. DECORANA—a FORTRAN program for detrended correspondence analysis and reciprocal averaging. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kooij M. S., Bredenkamp G. J. & Theron G. K. 1990a. Classification of the vegetation of the B land type in the north-western Orange Free State. S. Afr. J. Bot. 56: 309–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kooij M. S., Bredenkamp G. J. & Theron G. K. 1990b. The plant communities of the hills and ridges in the north-western Orange Free State, South Africa. Bot. Bull. Academia Sinica 31: 295–304.

    Google Scholar 

  • Land Type Survey Staff 1984. Land Types of the maps 2626 Wesrand, 2726 Kroonstad. Mem. Agric. natural resources S. Afr. no. 4. Government Printer, Pretoria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mentis, M. T. & Huntley, B. J. 1982. A description of the Grassland Biome Project. Co-operative Scientific Programme, CSIR Rep. no. 62. Pretoria.

  • Mueller-Dombois D. & Ellenberg H. 1974. Aims and Methods of Vegetation Ecology. Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller, D. B. 1986. Plantekologie van die Willem Pretorius-Wildtuin. Ph. D. thesis. University of the Orange Free State. Bloemfontein.

  • Scheepers, J. C. 1975. The plant ecology of the Kroonstad and Bethlehem areas of the Highveld Agricultural Region. D.Sc. thesis, Univ. of Pretoria.

  • Stuart-Hill, G. C., Tainton, N. M., Aucamp, A. J. & Danckwerts, J. E. 1984. Infiltration and water use patterns in semi-arid South African Savanna. Proc. 2nd Int. Rangl. Cong. Adelaide.

  • White F. 1983. The Vegetation of Africa. Unesco, Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Pretoria, 0002, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa

    E. R. Fuls, G. J. Bredenkamp & N. van Rooyen

Authors
  1. E. R. Fuls
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G. J. Bredenkamp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. N. van Rooyen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fuls, E.R., Bredenkamp, G.J. & van Rooyen, N. Plant communities of the rocky outcrops of the northern Orange Free State, South Africa. Vegetatio 103, 79–92 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00033419

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00033419

Keywords

Search

Navigation