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Scientific Name | Gasteria armstrongii Schönland |
Higher Classification | Monocotyledons |
Family | ASPHODELACEAE |
Synonyms | Gasteria nitida (Salm-Dyck) Haw. var. armstrongii (Schönland) Van Jaarsv. |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Critically Endangered A4cd |
Assessment Date | 2022/07/18 |
Assessor(s) | E.J. van Jaarsveld, D. Raimondo, C. Logie & L. von Staden |
Justification | This species has a limited distribution range and has an extent of occurrence (EOO) and an area of occupancy (AOO) of less than 28 km². It is known from a single, small population of about 500 plants, which is likely to decline by more than 80% within three generations if planned coastal development is to go ahead. It therefore qualifies as Critically Endangered under criterion A. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | Eastern Cape |
Range | This species is endemic to the Eastern Cape Province, where it occurs in Gamtoos Valley near Jeffreys Bay. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Humansdorp Shale Renosterveld, Albany Arid Thicket |
Description | It grows in coastal renosterveld. |
Threats |
| At least 40% of this species' habitat has already been lost to agricultural expansion, and the population remains on a single, fairly extensive fragment of remaining coastal renosterveld. The population continues to decline due to ongoing habitat degradation due to quarrying, dumping, and spreading alien invasive plants. The site has been earmarked for coastal development, which is likely to have a severe impact on the population. Succulent collecting is also an ongoing threat. |
Population |
This species occurs in scattered, small clumps across a ±8 km² stretch of coastal renosterveld, spanning a number of properties. Surveys of the area over the past 10 years estimate the total population size to be around 500 mature individuals, which are all likely to be part of a single subpopulation, as habitat is still largely continuous over this area. The population is estimated to have already declined by at least 30%, predominantly due to habitat loss to agricultural expansion. If proposed coastal development plans are to go ahead, this species could decline by up to 80% in the next 20-40 years (1-2 generations).
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Population trend | Decreasing |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Gasteria nitida (Salm-Dyck) Haw. var. armstrongii (Schönland) Van Jaarsv. | CR A4cd; B1ab(v) | 2012.1 | | Gasteria nitida (Salm-Dyck) Haw. var. armstrongii (Schönland) Van Jaarsv. | CR A4cd; B1ab(v) | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Gasteria nitida (Salm-Dyck) Haw. var. armstrongii (Schönland) Van Jaarsv. | Insufficiently Known | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | | Gasteria armstrongii Schönland | Uncertain | Hall et al. (1980) | |
Bibliography |
Hall, A.V., De Winter, M., De Winter, B. and Van Oosterhout, S.A.M. 1980. Threatened plants of southern Africa. South African National Scienctific Programmes Report 45. CSIR, Pretoria.
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.
Van Jaarsveld, E. 1992. The genus Gasteria, a synoptic review. Aloe 29(1):1-32.
Van Jaarsveld, E.J. 1992. The genus Gasteria, a synoptic review. Aloe 29(1):1-32.
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Citation |
| van Jaarsveld, E.J., Raimondo, D., Logie, C. & von Staden, L. 2022. Gasteria armstrongii Schönland. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/19 |
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