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Scientific Name | Eucomis vandermerwei I.Verd. |
Higher Classification | Monocotyledons |
Family | HYACINTHACEAE |
Common Names | Crinkle-leaf Pineapple Lily (e) |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Vulnerable B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) |
Assessment Date | 2018/09/30 |
Assessor(s) | M. Lötter, J.E. Burrows & L. von Staden |
Justification | Eucomis vandermerwei has an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 2726 km² and is known from eight locations. It has lost habitat to timber plantations and is declining as a result of overgrazing and trampling by livestock, harvesting for medicinal purposes, inappropriate fire management and alien plant invasion. It is also potentially threatened by habitat loss to coal mining. It is therefore listed as Vulnerable under criterion B. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | Limpopo, Mpumalanga |
Range | This species is endemic to South Africa, and is found from Middelburg to Lydenburg. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Steenkampsberg Montane Grassland, Sekhukhune Montane Grassland, Long Tom Pass Montane Grassland, Lydenburg Thornveld, Rand Highveld Grassland |
Description | It occurs in short, sour montane grassland on sandy, low-pH soils derived from quartzitic rocky outcrops. It also occurs in rock crevices or under overhanging rocks, confined to outcrops on slopes and plateaus of higher peaks, predominantly on north-facing slopes, 2200-2500 m. |
Threats |
| Populations are situated so that overgrazing, trampling, poor fire regimes and alien vegetation pose threats to their long-term endurance (Crouch and Krynauw 1999). A survey by the Mpumalanga Parks Board noted a two percent decline in the total population size, with one known subpopulation which has disappeared since previous surveys. The species may have declined around Ermelo due to its habitat being converted to forestry plantations. Coal mining is expanding on the quartzitic soils around Middelburg, and may pose a future threat to this species.
It is also threatened by harvesting for medicinal purposes (M. Lötter, J. Burrows and P. Winter). Suitable habitat of this species is 22% transformed (calculated using GIS). |
Population |
There were six extant subpopulations located after a survey by Mpumalanga Parks Board (Crouch and Krynauw 1999), and one previously known subpopulation of 45 individuals had disappeared. The total population size has been determined by a survey to be about 2400 individuals, however, the species does not qualify for C criteria, as there are only six subpopulations included in this survey, which means that some subpopulations might be larger than 250 mature individuals.
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Population trend | Decreasing |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Eucomis vandermerwei I.Verd. | VU B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Eucomis vandermerwei I.Verd. | Rare | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | | Eucomis vandermerwei I.Verd. | Rare | Hall et al. (1980) | |
Bibliography |
Crouch, N.R. and Krynauw, S. 1999. The high altitude pineapple lily Eucomis vandermerwei, a rare endemic from South Africa. Herbertia 54:133-138.
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.
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Citation |
| Lötter, M., Burrows, J.E. & von Staden, L. 2018. Eucomis vandermerwei I.Verd. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/14 |
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