Taxonomy
Scientific Name
Lachenalia viridiflora W.F.Barker
Higher Classification
Monocotyledons
Family
HYACINTHACEAE
National Status
Status and Criteria
Endangered B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)
Assessment Date
2015/09/21
Assessor(s)
G.D. Duncan, N.A. Helme, I. Ebrahim & L. von Staden
Justification
A highly range-restricted species (EOO 13 km²), remaining at three to five locations after extensive habitat loss to urban expansion and crop cultivation, and declining due to ongoing habitat loss and degradation.
Distribution
Endemism
South African endemic
Provincial distribution
Western Cape
Range
Northern Vredenburg Peninsula between Vredenburg and St. Helena Bay.
Habitat and Ecology
Major system
Terrestrial
Major habitats
Saldanha Granite Strandveld
Description
Seasonally moist depressions and rock crevices around exposed rock sheets in Saldanha Granite Strandveld.
Threats
Agricultural expansion has caused extensive habitat loss on the Vredenburg Peninsula, and only a few fragments of Saldanha Granite Strandveld remains intact. The subpopulation at the type locality near Vredenburg is now locally extinct as a result of urban expansion. The largest remaining subpopulation near St. Helena Bay is threatened by habitat loss to coastal development. A second subpopulation on a privately owned farm is threatened by habitat degradation due to overgrazing. Recently there was an application to establish wind turbines on this piece of land, and the conditions attached to the environmental authorisation was that livestock should be removed from the piece of land. The population is however still likely to be impacted by infrastructure development at the site.
Population

There are only two known existing subpopulations of this species. A third, known from historical records, has not been relocated for 10 years despite searches in the area, and it is presumed extinct. Both existing subpopulations occur on some of the last remaining remnants of Saldanha Granite Standveld around St. Helena Bay. The largest subpopulation consists of more than 1000 mature individuals scattered across several properties earmarked for development. The second subpopulation is much smaller, consisting of fewer than 100 mature individuals.


Population trend
Decreasing
Assessment History
Taxon assessed
Status and Criteria
Citation/Red List version
Lachenalia viridiflora W.F.BarkerEN B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)2017.1
Lachenalia viridiflora W.F.BarkerCR B1ab(ii,iii,v)+2ab(ii,iii,v)Raimondo et al. (2009)
Lachenalia viridiflora W.F.BarkerEndangered Hilton-Taylor (1996)
Lachenalia viridiflora W.F.BarkerVulnerable Hall et al. (1980)
Bibliography

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.


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.


Smuts, L.M. 1995. Fact Sheet: Lachenalia viridiflora. Information System For Endangered Plants (ISEP). Cape Nature Conservation.


Citation
Duncan, G.D., Helme, N.A., Ebrahim, I. & von Staden, L. 2015. Lachenalia viridiflora W.F.Barker. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version 2020.1. Accessed on 2023/12/01

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Distribution map

© A. Harrower

© C. Paterson-Jones

© I. Ebrahim


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