Taxonomy
Scientific Name
Raphionacme elsana Venter & R.L.Verh.
Higher Classification
Dicotyledons
Family
APOCYNACEAE
National Status
Status and Criteria
Endangered B1ab(iii)
Assessment Date
2009/07/30
Assessor(s)
H.J.T. Venter, L. von Staden & J.E. Victor
Justification
EOO < 800 km², between one and five locations remain. It has lost 35% of its habitat, mainly to crop cultivation. This species occurs in a communally owned area that is severely overgrazed by goats and cattle, and impacted by an altered fire regime and heavy encroachment by Chromolaena.
Distribution
Endemism
South African endemic
Provincial distribution
KwaZulu-Natal
Range
Makatini flats between Ndumo and Jozini.
Habitat and Ecology
Major system
Terrestrial
Major habitats
Western Maputaland Clay Bushveld
Description
Open savanna in Maputaland clay bushveld, in hard, reddish, clay soils on gently sloping hills.
Threats
Western Maputaland Clay Bushveld is about 35% transformed, mainly by agriculture (Mucina and Rutherford 2006), and has been classified as vulnerable by the NSBA (Rouget et al. 2004). According to Rob Scott-Shaw (pers. comm. 2009), most of the Makatini Flats is communally owned and severely degraded due to overgrazing by goats and cattle, altered fire regimes and heavy infestations by Chromolaena. Opuntia invasions are also severe (Mucina and Rutherford 2006).
Population
Population trend
Decreasing
Assessment History
Taxon assessed
Status and Criteria
Citation/Red List version
Raphionacme elsana Venter & R.L.Verh.EN B1ab(iii)Raimondo et al. (2009)
Raphionacme elsana Venter & R.L.Verh.EN B1B2abceVictor (2002)
Raphionacme elsana Venter & R.L.Verh.Data Deficient Scott-Shaw (1999)
Raphionacme elsana Venter & R.L.Verh.Indeterminate Hilton-Taylor (1996)
Bibliography

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


Mucina, L. and Rutherford, M.C. (eds). 2006. The vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Strelitzia 19. 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.


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.


Venter, H.J.T. and Verhoeven, R.L. 1987. Raphionacme elsana (Periplocaceae), a new species from Natal, South Africa. South African Journal of Botany 53(2):177-179.


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
Venter, H.J.T., von Staden, L. & Victor, J.E. 2009. Raphionacme elsana Venter & R.L.Verh. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/19

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