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Scientific Name | Dierama sertum Hilliard |
Higher Classification | Monocotyledons |
Family | IRIDACEAE |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Near Threatened B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) |
Assessment Date | 2007/05/17 |
Assessor(s) | C.R. Scott-Shaw, I.M. Johnson & L. von Staden |
Justification | Occurring in a restricted range (EOO 1900 km²) at 10-15 locations, but <700 km² of natural grassland remains within its range. Urban expansion and subsistence farming is causing a continuing decline. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | KwaZulu-Natal |
Range | Tugela mouth to St Lucia. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Savanna |
Description | Mainly in grasslands between coastal forest patches, but in rocky grassland near Ngoye forest. |
Threats |
| The coastal grassland habitat of this species is severely threatened due to transformation by commercial forestry plantations and sugarcane farming in the past. There is currently ongoing decline due to urban expansion of Richards Bay and subsistence farming, that is even impacting on some areas of the St Lucia Wetland Park where conservation officials have lost the battle against the local population invading the reserve to graze their cattle and grow cash crops such as bananas (N.R. Crouch and C.R. Scott-Shaw pers. comm. 2007). The coastal grasslands in which this species is found - Maputaland Coastal Belt and KwaZulu-Natal Coastal belt have been classified as Vulnerable and Endangered respectively (Rouget et al. 2004). Grasslands within the known range were already 65% transformed in 1996 (calculated using GIS), and 10 years later this figure may now be much higher.
One population declined due to woody invasions of the grassland habitat (C.R. Scott-Shaw pers. comm. 2007). |
Population |
Population trend | Decreasing |
Conservation |
| Protected in the Amatikulu Nature Reserve and St Lucia Wetland Park. |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Dierama sertum Hilliard | NT B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Dierama sertum Hilliard | Lower Risk - Near Threatened | Scott-Shaw (1999) | |
Bibliography |
Hilliard, O.M. and Burtt, B.L. 1991. Dierama: The hairbells of Africa. Acorn Books, Johannesburg and London.
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.
Rouget, M., Reyers, B., Jonas, Z., Desmet, P., Driver, A., Maze, K., Egoh, B. and Cowling, R.M. 2004. South African National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment 2004: Technical Report. Volume 1: Terrestrial component. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Scott-Shaw, C.R. 1999. Rare and threatened plants of KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring regions. KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service, Pietermaritzburg.
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Citation |
| Scott-Shaw, C.R., Johnson, I.M. & von Staden, L. 2007. Dierama sertum Hilliard. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/04/14 |
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