THE PJiANT ECOLOGY OF THE COAST BELT OF NATAL. 39^ 



Wherever open spaces permit, many of the smaller 

 Cyperaceas already named are mixed with the taller 

 species, and occasionally there are some of the vlei orchids, 

 etc., to be named later. 



{g) Vlei Grasses. — In this zone the water may disappear 

 in the dry season, at least from the surface, though the soil 

 remains water-log-ged at no great depth. In the rainy 

 season the zone becomes flooded at intervals. Extensive 

 consocies or associes of the following grasses are common : 

 Leersia hexandra, Setaria aurea, Eragrostis nama- 

 quensis var. robusta, Imperata arundinacea, Setaria 

 nigrirostis, S. gerrardi, Panicum proliferum var. 

 paludosum, P. maximum, P. crus- pavonis, P. 

 a^quinerve, P. interruptum, Polypogon mon- 

 speliensis, Trichopteryx dregeana, Leptocarydion 

 vulpiastrum, Ischa^mum fasciculatum, Rottboellia 

 compressa var. fasciculata, and in open spaces, Steno- 

 taphrum glabrum. 



When other species of Gramineas, such as the Tam- 

 bookie grasses (tall Audropogons), and numerous coast 

 Panicums with Setaria sulcata, all of which will be dealt 

 with later, become increasingly intermingled with the true vlei 

 grasses, the type becomes transitional to coast scrub or forest. 

 There are numerous vlei plants associated with the grasses, 

 many of which form vernal or autumnal aspect socies, while 

 others grow rather sparsely scattered. Among these the 

 Orchidaceas are rather well represented by Eu lop hi a 

 barbata, E. caffra, E. purpurascens, E. flaccida, 

 E. papillosa, E. natalensis, Lissochilus clitellifer, 

 L. buchanani, Schizochilus sandersoni, Zeuxine 

 cochlearis (582), Platylepis australis, Habenaria 

 clavata, H. ciliosa, H. dives, H. porrecta, H. fulci- 

 cornis, Satyrium spha^rocarpum, S. atherstonei, 

 S. aphyllum, Disa stachyoides, D. polygonoides, 

 Disperis cardiophora, D. stenoglossa, Corycium 

 nigrescens. 



Among the other Monocotyledons there are: iMora?a 



VOL. 4, PART 2. 27 



