Taxonomy
Scientific Name
Aspalathus cliffortiifolia R.Dahlgren
Higher Classification
Dicotyledons
Family
FABACEAE
National Status
Status and Criteria
Critically Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)
Assessment Date
2011/05/31
Assessor(s)
D. Raimondo, I. Ebrahim & C. Weatherall-Thomas
Justification
Previously only known from the type specimen collected in Humewood in 1911 which is now a suburb of Port Elizabeth. This species was listed as possibly extinct on the Red List of South African Plants (Raimondo et al. 2009). It was rediscovered by volunteers of the Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers programme (CREW) in 2010 in two fragments of remnant coastal fynbos, one within the city of Port Elizabeth and the second just south of the city. Both remaining subpopulations are declining due to ongoing habitat degradation as a result of alien plant invasions and one subpopulation is severely threatened by further urban development. EOO and AOO <10 km², subpopulations are severely fragmented.
Distribution
Endemism
South African endemic
Provincial distribution
Eastern Cape
Range
Port Elizabeth.
Habitat and Ecology
Major system
Terrestrial
Major habitats
Algoa Sandstone Fynbos, St Francis Dune Thicket
Description
Coastal fynbos.
Threats
Urban expansion around the city of Port Elizabeth is a past and ongoing threat, with one of the two known extant subpopulations under development pressure. Both remaining subpopulations are also threatened by competition from invasive alien plants.
Population

Two recently discovered subpopulations consist of between 60 and 90 mature individuals each, both were found on small, isolated fragments/road reserves.


Population trend
Decreasing
Conservation
Not recorded from any formally protected areas.
Assessment History
Taxon assessed
Status and Criteria
Citation/Red List version
Aspalathus cliffortiifolia R.DahlgrenCritically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) Raimondo et al. (2009)
Aspalathus cliffortiifolia R.DahlgrenEndangered Hilton-Taylor (1996)
Bibliography

Dahlgren, R. 1988. Crotalarieae (Aspalathus). In: O.A. Leistner (ed). Flora of southern Africa 16 Fabaceae, Part 3 Papilionoideae, Fascicle 6:1-430. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.


Goldblatt, P. and Manning, J.C. 2000. Cape Plants: A conspectus of the Cape Flora of South Africa. Strelitzia 9. National Botanical Institute, Cape Town.


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.


Citation
Raimondo, D., Ebrahim, I. & Weatherall-Thomas, C. 2011. Aspalathus cliffortiifolia R.Dahlgren. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2024/11/09

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Distribution map

© K. West

© K. West

© K. West

© I. Ebrahim


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