| Scientific Name | Kniphofia leucocephala Baijnath | Higher Classification | Monocotyledons | Family | ASPHODELACEAE |
National Status | Status and Criteria | Critically Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) | Assessment Date | 2007/05/15 | Assessor(s) | B. Church, C.R. Scott-Shaw, I.M. Johnson & L. von Staden | Justification | EOO 0.13 km², AOO<0.1 km², known from one location and endemic to the grasslands between Richards Bay and St Lucia. This area had been extensively transformed by urban development, commercial forestry plantations, commercial sugarcane and subsistence farming over the past 70 years, such that less than 2% of natural grassland remains. A subpopulation was discovered in 1990, and although thorough surveys of remaining grassland patches were conducted no further subpopulations were located. There was a remarkable recovery after implementation of a conservation plan in 2001 that prescribed regular fire. Survival of this species is uncertain because the surrounding pine plantations have recently been replaced by Eucalyptus plantations, which are likely to place ongoing pressures on the wetland habitat in which this species occurs. |
Distribution | Endemism | South African endemic | Provincial distribution | KwaZulu-Natal | Range | Richards Bay. |
Habitat and Ecology | Major system | Terrestrial | Major habitats | Maputaland Wooded Grassland | Description | Wetlands in low lying coastal grassland, in moist, black, sandy clay soil. |
Threats | | The coastal grasslands around Richards Bay have been extensively transformed by urban expansion, commercial forestry plantations, commercial sugarcane farming as well as subsistence farming to such a degree that less than 2% of former natural grasslands remain between Richards Bay and St. Lucia (Scott-Shaw 1999). This has probably led to extensive population declines in this species in the past. However, since it remained overlooked until it was described in 1992, it cannot be known what the past range and population size was, and how much of it has been lost.
The only known subpopulation was almost extirpated before the species was even described. It was discovered in 1990 by Wally Menne, a local horticulturist in the state owned Langepan Plantation. At the time of the discovery, the site was under preparation for being planted up with new pine seedlings, and the site had been sprayed with a herbicide to kill the competing grass cover. After pressure was mounted on the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, the pine seedlings were removed, but with further considerable disturbance to the site (Menne 1992). Through the years the site was badly neglected and forestry roads dissected the sensitive wetland site (B. Church pers. comm.). The number of flowering individuals declined from 70 in 1991 to only 21 in 1998 (Scott-Shaw 1999), a decline of 70% over just seven years.
In 2001, SiyaQhubeka, a private forestry company, acquired 26 451 hectares of the formerly state-owned forestry plantations bordering on the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Nature Reserve. SiyaQhubeka introduced radically new forest management strategies, including a commitment to conservation, in order to obtain FSC certification (see http://www.siyaqhubeka.co.za/news/general/fsc.pdf).
Langepan was declared a National Heritage Site and considerable effort has been put in place to rehabilitate the wetland - the roads cutting through the wetland were closed off, herds of cattle grazing in the wetland were excluded and the plantations bordering the wetland were moved further away to increase the buffer zone between the plantations and the sensitive site. A conservation management plan for the site, including a regular burning regime and monitoring of the population, was also implemented.
In just a few years since conservation management of the site was implemented, the K. leucocephala population has recovered remarkably, and there are now about 350 individuals (B. Church pers. comm. 2007). It appears that some of these are mature individuals that did not flower during the years of neglect, but have come out of dormancy since the conservation management started. It is quite likely that this species requires regular fires to stimulate flowering (B. Church, C.R. Scott-Shaw pers. comm.).
However, the future survival of this population remains by no means guaranteed. Former pine plantations around the wetland have recently been replaced by gums, and although the plantations are now further away from the wetland, the impact on the site may still be increased as gums (Eucalyptus spp.) are known to extract far more water from the underground water table than other plantation species, and this may have a severely negative impact on the wetland in the future. The gums are presently still small, and therefore the K. pauciflora population appears to be thriving at present, but the impact on the water resource is expected to intensify as the trees mature (C.R. Scott-Shaw, pers. comm.). Continued monitoring of the population will reveal whether this population will be sustainable in the future. |
Population | Population trend | Decreasing |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Kniphofia leucocephala Baijnath | CR B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Kniphofia leucocephala Baijnath | CR | Scott-Shaw (1999) | | Kniphofia leucocephala Baijnath | Endangered | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | |
Bibliography | Baijnath, H. 1992. Kniphofia leucocephala (Asphodelaceae): a new white-flowered red-hot poker from South Africa. South African Journal of Botany 58(6):482-485.
Codd, L.E. 1989. Kniphofia pauciflora. Flowering Plants of Africa 50(2):t.1995.
Codd, L.E. 2005. Asphodelaceae (First part): Kniphofia. In: G. Germishuizen and B.A. Momberg (eds). Flora of southern Africa 5 Part 1, Fascicle 2:1-91. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Codd, L.E.W. 1969. The South African species of Kniphofia (Liliaceae). Bothalia 9:363-513.
Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
Menne, W. 1992. Future of new Kniphofia in jeopardy. Plantlife 7:7-8.
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 | | Church, B., Scott-Shaw, C.R., Johnson, I.M. & von Staden, L. 2007. Kniphofia leucocephala Baijnath. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/04/13 |
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