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Scientific Name | Eriosema latifolium (Benth. ex Harv.) C.H.Stirt. |
Higher Classification | Dicotyledons |
Family | FABACEAE |
Synonyms | Eriosema squarrosum (Thunb.) Walp. var. latifolium Benth. ex Harv., Eriosema zeyheri E.Mey. var. latifolium Benth. ex Baker f. |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Vulnerable B1ab(iii,v) |
Assessment Date | 2021/07/19 |
Assessor(s) | C.R. Scott-Shaw, D. Raimondo & L. von Staden |
Justification | A range-restricted Pondoland endemic with an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 3 924 km², it is known from six locations and is declining due to ongoing habitat loss and degradation across its range. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Midlands Mistbelt Grassland, Pondoland-Ugu Sandstone Coastal Sourveld, KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Belt Grassland |
Description | Plants grow in Pondoland coastal grassland. |
Threats |
| This species is threatened by ongoing habitat loss and degradation across its range. Around Izingolweni, Bizana and Lusikisiki it is possibly now locally extinct due to habitat loss to rural settlements, which have increases rapidly in the past 20 years. Around Magwa the species is likely to have declined due to habitat loss to crop cultivation in the past. Timber plantations are a threat along the Ngonyama River, a tributary of the Mzamba River. Most of the remaining coastal grasslands in the Pondoland region are subjected to overgrazing and too frequent fires, leading to ongoing degradation and loss of forb diversity. |
Population |
This species has been rarely collected, and is not known to occur in well-explored Pondoland reserves such as Umtamvuna and Mkambati. Most historical records are from areas now densely populated, where very little intact habitat remains. Field surveys are needed to relocate possible subpopulations, as they may be locally extinct. Continuing population decline is inferred from ongoing habitat loss and degradation across this species' range.
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Population trend | Decreasing |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Eriosema latifolium (Benth. ex Harv.) C.H.Stirt. | VU D2 | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Eriosema latifolium (Benth. ex Harv.) C.H.Stirt. | Lower Risk - Least Concern | Scott-Shaw (1999) | | Eriosema latifolium (Benth. ex Harv.) C.H.Stirt. | Rare | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | |
Bibliography |
Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical 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.
Scott-Shaw, C.R. 1999. Rare and threatened plants of KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring regions. KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service, Pietermaritzburg.
Stirton, C.H. 1986. The Eriosema squarrosum complex (Papilionoideae, Fabaceae) in southern Africa. Bothalia 16(1):11-22.
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Citation |
| Scott-Shaw, C.R., Raimondo, D. & von Staden, L. 2021. Eriosema latifolium (Benth. ex Harv.) C.H.Stirt. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/04/14 |
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