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Scientific Name | Watsonia pondoensis Goldblatt |
Higher Classification | Monocotyledons |
Family | IRIDACEAE |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) |
Assessment Date | 2008/07/01 |
Assessor(s) | C.R. Scott-Shaw, J.E. Victor & L. von Staden |
Justification | EOO 129 km², known from two subpopulations. One subpopulation is protected in the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, the other from a herbarium collection made in 1956. Although the Pondoland region south of the Umtamvuna River is quite poorly explored, this species has not been recorded at some well collected sites such as Mkambati Nature Reserve and around Port St Johns, and it is therefore considered extremely rare and appears to be restricted to a rare, specialized habitat. Although there may be other unknown subpopulations it is estimated that there are not more than five. There is ongoing decline in the quality of habitat outside of protected areas due to livestock overgrazing, too frequent fires and crop cultivation. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal |
Range | Umtamvuna Nature Reserve and Port Grosvenor. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Pondoland-Ugu Sandstone Coastal Sourveld |
Description | Pondoland coastal grassland, Msikaba Formation Sandstone, in standing water of permanent vleis. |
Threats |
| General threats to grasslands in the Pondoland region are mainly overgrazing, too frequent fire and subsistence agriculture. There is likely to be ongoing decline in the quality of habitat of subpopulations outside of protected areas. |
Population |
Population trend | Decreasing |
Conservation |
| Protected in Umtamvuna Nature Reserve. |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Watsonia pondoensis Goldblatt | EN B1ab(iii) | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Watsonia pondoensis Goldblatt | VU | Scott-Shaw (1999) | | Watsonia pondoensis Goldblatt | Rare | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | |
Bibliography |
Abbott, A., Van Wyk, A.E., Johnson, D.N. and Scott-Shaw, C.R. 2000. Checklist of the macrofungi, lichens, bryophytes and vascular plants of the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, South Africa. Lammergeyer 46:1-69.
Abbott, T. 2006. The story of the Pondoland Centre. PlantLife 33&34:5-72.
Goldblatt, P. 1989. The genus Watsonia. A systematic monograph. Annals of Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens 19:1-148. National Botanic Gardens, 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.
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., Victor, J.E. & von Staden, L. 2008. Watsonia pondoensis Goldblatt. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/06/28 |
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