AN (ECOLOGICAL srKVEY OF THE MIDLANDS OF NATAL. 517 



Marginal Zone. — SiuTounding the busli we have the 

 transitional marginal veld. This belongs partly to veld jiiid 

 partly to bush. Occasionally the typical Anthistiria grass 

 veld grows close up to the edge of the bush, but that is rare. 

 Andropogon associations, and iu pailicular the tambootie 

 association, are usually found surrounding the bush. In this 

 situation these associations diifer slightly in composition from 

 those occurring on the slopes. There is a more varied 

 number of associated plants and ferns present, and the 

 broad-leaved grass Setaria sulcata is characteristic of the 

 zone. 



This belt suffers less from fire than tbe veld as a whole, and 

 consequently numerous species of the associated flowering 

 plants take refuge there. Taller half shrubby species are 

 common. 



Berk hey a (Stobcea) spp., Athanasia acerosa, 

 Vernonia corymbosa, Leonotis leonurus, Polygala 

 virgata, Artemesia afra, Helichrysum spp., Indi- 

 gofera sp., Plectranthus spp., Hyptis pectinata, 

 Lasiosiphon spp., Grnidia ovali folia, Grladiolus spp., 

 Mohria kaffrorum, Pella?a hastata are typical and 

 most abundant. They often oust the grasses altogether. 



In the moister parts of the marginal belt, grasses that 

 characterise the vleis, e. g. Erianthus cap en sis, Arundi- 

 nella ecklonii, Setaria aurea, as well as, occasionally, 

 Cyperaceas, and such plants as Osbeckia umlaasiana, 

 Eichardia af ricana, made up the type of plant formation. 



A very definite plant association of this marginal zone is 

 formed by the Bracken (Pteris aquilina). tSouietimes it 

 is almost a pure association, at other times mixed with grasses 

 or with E u b u s p i n n a t u s . 



These plant associations described so far belong properly to 

 the veld portion of the transitional zone. The other part of 

 this zone is more irregular and patchy. It consists of shriiljs, 

 trees, and lianes that prefer the outside of the bush, where 

 the conditions regarding light and other factors differ from 

 those in the interior of the bush. 



