Turflelie

Taxonomy
Scientific Name
Crinum variabile (Jacq.) Herb.
Higher Classification
Monocotyledons
Family
AMARYLLIDACEAE
Common Names
Turflelie (a)
National Status
Status and Criteria
Least Concern
Assessment Date
2018/02/25
Assessor(s)
H. Mtshali, D.A. Snijman & J.E. Victor
Justification
Crinum variabile is a widespread and common species. It is possibly threatened by harvesting of wild plants for traditional medicine, but there is no available data to indicate that it is at risk of extinction at present.
Distribution
Endemism
South African endemic
Provincial distribution
Northern Cape, Western Cape
Range
This species is widespread in the Northern Cape, where it occurs from around Nigramoep in Namaqualand to the Hantam, Roggeveld Escarpment and Tanqua Karoo.
Habitat and Ecology
Major system
Freshwater
Major habitats
Fynbos, Succulent Karoo
Description
It occurs in streambeds of permanent rivers.
Threats
Crinum species are threatened by harvesting for the medicinal plant trade. It is difficult to tell the species apart without flowering material, and the users and market traders do not distinguish between the species, hence they are all at risk of over-exploitation. Field monitoring is needed to determine the impact of harvesting on the population.
Population

Subpopulations are small and localized, but it is known from at least 20 subpopulations, which is likely to be an underestimate, as much of its habitat remains botanically poorly explored. The population trend is not known. It is possibly declining due to medicinal harvesting, but field monitoring is needed to confirm this.


Population trend
Unknown
Assessment History
Taxon assessed
Status and Criteria
Citation/Red List version
Crinum variabile (Jacq.) Herb.Least Concern Raimondo et al. (2009)
Crinum variabile (Jacq.) Herb.Lower Risk - Least Concern Victor (2002)
Crinum variabile (Jacq.) Herb.Not Threatened Hilton-Taylor (1996)
Bibliography

Cook, C.D.K. 2004. Aquatic and wetland plants of southern Africa. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands.


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.


Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.


Manning, J.C. and Goldblatt, P. 2012. Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 1: The Core Cape Flora. Strelitzia 29. South African National Biodiversity 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.


Sieben, E.J.J. 2009. The status and distribution of vascular plants (Magnoliophyta, Lycophyta, Pteridophyta). In: W.R.T. Darwall, K.G. Smith, D. Tweddle and P. Skelton (eds.), The status and distribution of freshwater biodiversity in southern Africa (pp. 83-98), IUCN and SAIAB, Gland, Switzerland and Grahamstown, South Africa.


Snijman, D.A. 2013. Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 2: The extra Cape flora. Strelitzia 30. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.


Verdoorn, I.C. 1973. The genus Crinum in Southern Africa. Bothalia 11:27-52.


Victor, J.E. 2002. South Africa. In: J.S. Golding (ed), Southern African plant Red Data Lists. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 14 (pp. 93-120), SABONET, Pretoria.


Citation
Mtshali, H., Snijman, D.A. & Victor, J.E. 2018. Crinum variabile (Jacq.) Herb. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/10

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Distribution map


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