Taxonomy
Scientific Name
Miraglossum laeve Kupicha
Higher Classification
Dicotyledons
Family
APOCYNACEAE
National Status
Status and Criteria
Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)
Assessment Date
2014/10/01
Assessor(s)
M.M.P. Mogale, S.P. Bester & L. von Staden
Justification
A rare and very poorly known species, last collected in 1960. Dedicated searches have thus far failed to relocate it, and is possibly already extinct due to habitat loss and degradation.
Distribution
Endemism
South African endemic
Provincial distribution
Gauteng, North West
Range
Hills south of Pretoria and the Vredefort Dome north-east of Parys.
Habitat and Ecology
Major system
Terrestrial
Major habitats
Gold Reef Mountain Bushveld, Gauteng Shale Mountain Bushveld
Description
Hills in Gold Reef Mountain Bushveld and possibly Gauteng Shale Mountain Bushveld.
Threats
Habitat loss and degradation due to urban expansion is a severe threat across Gauteng, and very little natural areas remain. Efforts have been made to limit development on ridges, but these natural areas are now becoming increasingly isolated, and continue to be degraded due to fire exclusion and encroachment of alien invasive plants.
Population

Miraglossum laeve is a very rare and poorly known species. It has been collected twice only: first in 1930, from hills south of Pretoria, and again in 1960, from the hills of the Vredefort Dome north-east of Parys, a disjunction of about 130 km. Despite dedicated searches, this species has not been found again (S.P. Bester pers. comm.). The 1960 collection has a fairly precise locality description, which indicates that it occurs in Gold Reef Mountain Bushveld, a vegetation type with a limited distribution on the rocky ridges of Gauteng and adjacent areas in North West Province. The older collection's locality description is too imprecise to determine its habitat, but hills to the south of Pretoria also has another limited vegetation type on them, Gauteng Shale Mountain Bushveld, which is found on three ridges across Gauteng Province, and also extending somewhat into North West Province. It is therefore likely that this species is a rare, localized endemic of ridges in Gauteng Province.


Population trend
Unknown
Assessment History
Taxon assessed
Status and Criteria
Citation/Red List version
Miraglossum laeve KupichaCritically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) 2015.1
Miraglossum laeve KupichaThreatened Raimondo et al. (2009)
Bibliography

Hahn, N. 2013. Rare, endangered and endemic flora of the North West Province. Unpublished Report to the Department of Economic Development, Conservation and Tourism, North West Provincial Government.


Kupicha, F.K. 1984. Studies on African Asclepiadaceae. Kew Bulletin 38(4):599-672.


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.


Citation
Mogale, M.M.P., Bester, S.P. & von Staden, L. 2014. Miraglossum laeve Kupicha. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/16

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Distribution map


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