Taxonomy
Scientific Name
Muraltia mitior (P.J.Bergius) Levyns
Higher Classification
Dicotyledons
Family
POLYGALACEAE
National Status
Status and Criteria
Endangered B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)
Assessment Date
2013/01/03
Assessor(s)
N.A. Helme & L. von Staden
Justification
EOO 3212 km², between four and six small, isolated, severely fragmented subpopulations continue to decline due to ongoing habitat loss to urban expansion, coastal development, competition from alien invasive plants and overgrazing.
Distribution
Endemism
South African endemic
Provincial distribution
Western Cape
Range
Cape Flats and Agulhas Plain.
Habitat and Ecology
Major system
Terrestrial
Major habitats
Overberg Dune Strandveld, Cape Flats Dune Strandveld, Swartland Shale Renosterveld, Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos, De Hoop Limestone Fynbos, Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, Cape Seashore Vegetation
Description
Low-lying sandy flats among coastal dunes, usually water-logged during the winter months.
Threats
Less than 10% of this species' habitat on the Cape Flats remains due to urban expansion of the city of Cape Town. Around three remaining subpopulations occur on small, isolated fragments infested with alien invasive wattles, and which continues to be degraded due to a lack of fire, and is under pressure from ongoing urban development. On the Agulhas Plain, plants are threatened by habitat loss to coastal development, competition from unmanaged, spreading alien invasive plants as well as habitat degradation as a result of overgrazing.
Population

Numerous historical records indicate that this species was once common on the southern Cape Flats around False Bay, but now only a few, isolated subpopulations remain, which continue to be lost (N.A. Helme pers. comm.). These subpopulations are separated by about 130 km from those on the Agulhas Plain, where this species has been recorded only a few times within a very small area.


Population trend
Decreasing
Assessment History
Taxon assessed
Status and Criteria
Citation/Red List version
Muraltia mitior (P.J.Bergius) LevynsEN B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)Raimondo et al. (2009)
Muraltia mitior (P.J.Bergius) LevynsInsufficiently Known Hilton-Taylor (1996)
Bibliography

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.


Levyns, M.R. 1954. The genus Muraltia. Journal of South African Botany Supplement 2:1-247.


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
Helme, N.A. & von Staden, L. 2013. Muraltia mitior (P.J.Bergius) Levyns. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/14

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Distribution map

© G. Laidler

© G. Laidler

© N.A. Helme


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