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Scientific Name | Cyrtanthus brachysiphon Hilliard & B.L.Burtt |
Higher Classification | Monocotyledons |
Family | AMARYLLIDACEAE |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Endangered B1ab(ii,iii,v)+2ab(ii,iii,v) |
Assessment Date | 2005/07/13 |
Assessor(s) | C.R. Scott-Shaw, L. von Staden & J.E. Victor |
Justification | A highly range-restricted species (EOO<5 km²) and known from only two locations. It is threatened by habitat degradation and alteration as a result of invasion by black wattles (Acacia mearnsii). |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | KwaZulu-Natal |
Range | Louwsburg Plateau. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Southern Mistbelt Forest |
Description | On moist cliffs and ledges along wooded watercourses and waterfalls in semi-shade, 1100 m. |
Threats |
| The largest population occurs on a privately owned game farm. The owners of the farm are aware of the population and are controlling invasive wattles on their section of the stream. However, further upstream the land is municipal, and there are heavy infestations of wattles that can easily spread downstream to this population.
A second, smaller population in a nearby tributary on municipally owned land is in decline due to severe, dense infestations of wattles. |
Population |
It is extremely difficult to estimate population size as individuals are clonal and grow tightly wedged in limited available pockets along waterfalls, where there may even be more than one genotype, as seeds tend to get lodged in these clumps from elsewhere and also germinate among existing individuals (C.R. Scott-Shaw pers. comm. 2007). There are two known subpopulations within a small area. The larger subpopulation consists of about 50 clonal clumps (B. Church pers. comm.), but it is impossible to say how many individuals there are (C.R. Scott-Shaw pers. comm.) The smaller subpopulation has less than 10 clonal clumps (B. Church pers. comm.) Searches were conducted in adjacent valleys but no more subpopulations have been found to date (C.R. Scott-Shaw pers. comm. 2007).
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Population trend | Decreasing |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Cyrtanthus brachysiphon Hilliard & B.L.Burtt | EN B1ab(ii,iii,v)+2ab(ii,iii,v) | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Cyrtanthus brachysiphon Hilliard & B.L.Burtt | EN | Scott-Shaw (1999) | | Cyrtanthus brachysiphon Hilliard & B.L.Burtt | Vulnerable | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | |
Bibliography |
Hilliard, O.M. and Burtt, B.L. 1986. Notes on some plants of Southern Africa chiefly from Natal: XII. Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 43(2):189-228.
Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
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 |
| Scott-Shaw, C.R., von Staden, L. & Victor, J.E. 2005. Cyrtanthus brachysiphon Hilliard & B.L.Burtt. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/09 |
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