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Scientific Name | Gymnosporia vanwykii (R.H.Archer) M.Jordaan |
Higher Classification | Dicotyledons |
Family | CELASTRACEAE |
Synonyms | Maytenus vanwykii R.H.Archer |
Common Names | Pondo Spikethorn (e) |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Near Threatened A2c; B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) |
Assessment Date | 2008/09/22 |
Assessor(s) | L. von Staden |
Justification | This species has lost 20-30% of its habitat within the last 100 years, which represents one to two generations of this long-lived resprouter, mainly due to commercial and subsistence crop cultivation, overgrazing and too frequent fire. EOO 495 km², AOO <495 km², eight to 15 locations continue to decline. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal |
Range | Pondoland endemic, Umtamvuna River to Magwa Falls. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Pondoland-Ugu Sandstone Coastal Sourveld |
Description | Pondoland Coastal Grasslands, Msikaba Formation Sandstone. |
Threats |
| Threatened by overgrazing, subsistence agriculture and too frequent fires. Grasslands in the Pondoland area are burnt up to three times a year (C.R. Scott-Shaw pers. comm.) and too frequent fire has been observed to cause failed recruitment in Gymnosporia woodii (D. Styles pers. obs.) According to the National Land Cover layer of 1996, Pondoland Coastal Grasslands are ± 20% transformed. Land transformation is, however, severely underestimated, especially in terms of too-frequent fire and overgrazing (C.R. Scott-Shaw pers. obs., unpublished data). It is, therefore, estimated that habitat loss for this long-lived suffrutescent resprouter amounts to probably close to 30%. |
Population |
Population trend | Decreasing |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Gymnosporia vanwykii (R.H.Archer) M.Jordaan | NT A2c; B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Gymnosporia vanwykii (R.H.Archer) M.Jordaan | Lower Risk - Near Threatened | Scott-Shaw (1999) | |
Bibliography |
Boon, R. 2010. Pooley's Trees of eastern South Africa. Flora and Fauna Publications Trust, Durban.
Jordaan, M. 2003. The spikethorns (Gymnosporia) in southern Africa: Sections Putterlickioides and Mossambicensis. PlantLife 28:35-41.
Jordaan, M. and Van Wyk, A.E. 2003. A taxonomic revision of the Gymnosporia mossambicensis group (Celastraceae: Celastroideae). Kew Bulletin 58:833-866.
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Scott-Shaw, C.R. 1999. Rare and threatened plants of KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring regions. KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service, Pietermaritzburg.
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Citation |
| von Staden, L. 2008. Gymnosporia vanwykii (R.H.Archer) M.Jordaan. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/09 |
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