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Scientific Name | Hesperantha vaginata (Sweet) Goldblatt |
Higher Classification | Monocotyledons |
Family | IRIDACEAE |
Synonyms | Geissorhiza vaginata Sweet, Hesperantha inflexa in sense of R.C.Foster, not of (D.Delaroche) R.C.Foster (misapplied name), Hesperantha metelerkampiae L.Bolus, Hesperantha stanfordiae L.Bolus |
Common Names | Perdeblom (a) |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Least Concern |
Assessment Date | 2021/06/29 |
Assessor(s) | P. Goldblatt, D. Raimondo, E. Marinus & T. Patel |
Justification | This northern Cape endemic has a restricted range with an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 608 km²), and an area of occupancy (AOO) of 96 km². It is known from at least 10 subpopulations, many of which are potentially threatened by agriculture and climate change. Currently, the species is not in danger of extinction and is listed as Least Concern. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | Northern Cape |
Range | This species is endemic to South Africa, and is fairly widespread in the Bokkeveld Mountains and Plateau in Northern Cape, from near Nieuwoudtville in the west to the slopes of the Hantamsberg at Calvinia in the east, to near Loriesfontein in the north and to the south on the Keiskie Mountains and Driefontein-se-Berg. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Hantam Karoo, Nieuwoudtville Shale Renosterveld, Nieuwoudtville-Roggeveld Dolerite Renosterveld |
Description | It occurs mostly on dolerite-derived red clay and among dolerite rocks, occasionally on sandy ground in the west of its range. |
Threats |
| The species is restricted in the Nieuwoudtville area to Dolerite Vertisols on the central plain. Thirteen percent of this habitat has been lost in the past to ploughing. It occurs on large flat areas that could easily be ploughed on the farms of Oorlogskloof and Brakke Rivier (Todd 2003).
This species seems fairly secure from threats, but a change in farming practices on the rich red clay soils on which it grows, could rapidly reduce the present large populations to near extinction. The yellow form, which is now very rare, if not extinct, grew immediately around Nieuwoudtville and has been the most impacted by agricultural activities.
Climate change is likely to affect this species as it only flowers after good rains. The degree of impact of this threat is currently unknown and monitoring is required to determine if populations are declining. |
Population |
This species is known from between 15 and 20 subpopulations. It is locally very common. Two subpopulations were observed at Hantam National Botanical Garden in 2020, one consisted of less than 10 plants while the other had less than 50 plants. Between 10-50 plants were observed in Namakwa (2020, iNaturalist observation) and between 500-1000 plants were observed in Nieuwoudtsville in 2014. The overall population trend is stable, however, some populations have declined, especially those of the yellow-flowered form.
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Population trend | Stable |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Hesperantha vaginata (Sweet) Goldblatt | NT D2 | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Hesperantha vaginata (Sweet) Goldblatt | Rare | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | |
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.
Goldblatt, P. and Manning, J.C. 2020. Iridaceae of southern Africa. Strelitzia 42. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
Manning, J., Goldblatt, P. and Snijman, D. 2002. The color encyclopedia of Cape bulbs. Timber Press, Portland/Cambridge.
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.
Todd, S. 2003. Current and potential future levels of vegetation transformation on the Bokkeveld plateau, a hotspot of plant diversity and endemism. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Cape Town.
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Citation |
| Goldblatt, P., Raimondo, D., Marinus, E. & Patel, T. 2021. Hesperantha vaginata (Sweet) Goldblatt. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/04/13 |
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