40. Moist Cold Highveld Grassland

Synonyms:

Cymbopogon-Themeda Veld (A48), Highland Sourveld to Cymbopogon-Themeda Veld Transition (A56), North-eastern Sandy Highveld (A57); Highland Sweet Grassland, Moist Cool Temperate Grassland; Aristida junciformis-Eragrostis plana Grassland.

Statistics:

22 604 km²; ± 70% transformed; 0.63% conserved.

Locality & Physical Geography:

This grassland occurs in the interior basins and plateaux of the northern and north-eastern parts of Eastern Cape north of Lady Grey, and the undulating plains immediately west of the high escarpment in the eastern Free State and western parts of Lesotho. A high altitude vegetation type from 1 350 to 2 000 m above sea level.

Climate:

Rainfall is low in Eastern Cape (about 450 to 500 mm per year), but in Free State ranges from 700 to 800 mm, occurring mainly in summer. The region experiences severe frost, but little snow. Temperatures vary between 13°C and 35°C, with an average of 14°C.

Geology & Soil.

Deep (greater than 300 mm), yellow and grey sandy-loam soils derived from sandstones and shales of the Beaufort Group in the south, and the Vryheid Formation (Ecca Group) in the north.

Vegetation:

This is a moderately dense grassland dominated by Bushveld Turpentinegrass Cymbopogon plurinodis, Redgrass Themeda triandra, Small Creeping Foxtail Setaria sphacelata, Elionurus muticus and Eragrostis curvula. Typical grasses include Ngongoni Bristlegrass Aristida junciformis, Heartseed Lovegrass Eragrostis capensis, Hairy Tridentgrass Tristachya leucothrix, Andropogon appendiculatus, Helictotrichon turgidulum, Microchloa caffra and Eragrostis plana. Prominent forbs include: Kleinjakkalstert Anthospermum rigidum, Veld Everlasting Helichrysum rugulosum, Hermannia geniculata, Senecio erubescens, Conyza podocephala, Berkheya onopordifolia and B. pinnatifida. Invasion of Karoo bushes, such as Bitterkaroo, Pentzia globosa and Bloublommetjie Felicia muricata, may occur in some areas.

Key Environmental Parameters:

Land type and soil type apparently have a lesser influence on plant distributions than terrain form and associated soil depth, soil moisture (clay content), rockiness of the soil surface and grazing. Variation within this vegetation type is determined more by position in the landscape (plateaux, slopes, plains). It is possible that the high summer rainfall may smooth out floristic variation, so that gradual transitions in the plant communities become the rule, and discontinuities the exception.

Economic Uses:

Cultivated for wheat and maize, with dairy farming also important.

Conservation Status:

Very poor. This vegetation type is partly represented in the Sterkfontein Dam and Caledon Nature Reserves. Extensive areas have been ploughed.

Key References:

Lubke et al. (1988), Du Preez (1991), Du Preez & Bredenkamp (1991), Eckhardt et al. (1993b), Fuls (1993).

Authors:

George Bredenkamp, Noel van Rooyen & Roy Lubke.