420 J. W. BEWS. 



may be only occasional in the scrub. The thorny scrub, 

 which is the climax of the thorn veld, is much more 

 xerophytic than the scrub which is a stage in the forest 

 succession, especially in its dominant species, the Acacias, 

 Euphorbias, etc. Nevertheless, many of the more mesophytic 

 scrub species are brought even into thorn veld, the seeds, as 

 explained, being carried by birds. If these more mesophytic 

 species manage to oust the pioneer thorn trees completely, 

 then the thorn scrub also becomes transitional to forest, 

 but it is only in the more favourable localities that this 

 can happen. 



While several of the dominant species have a wider range 

 throughout the hot dry river valleys of the midlands and 

 are able to withstand severe frosts in winter, the following 

 are confined to the coast belt, or at any rate to frost-free 

 localities. They are mostly tropical in their affinities : 

 Erythroxylon monogynum, Dodoneea viscosa, 

 Bersama lucens (88), Sclerocarya caffra (307), 

 Milletia caffra (32), Albizzia fastigiata (27), Dich- 

 rostachys nutans (243), Cassipourea verticillata, 

 Heteropyxis natalensis, Homalium rufescens, 

 Cussonia umbellifera, Tricalysia lanceolata (231), 

 Strychnos spinosa, Cordia caffra (508), Cyclostemon 

 argutus, Bridelia micrantha, Spirostachys africana 

 and the palms, Phoenix reclinata and Hyphfene criuita. 

 This list is sufficiently representative to mark off fairly sharply 

 the coast belt tree veld from that of the midlands. 



The following are the most important types of tree veld on 

 the coast belt : 



(a) Ilala-Palm. Veld. — This important type is very common 

 on the drift sands behind the shore-line of sand-dunes. It is 

 dominated by Hyphfene crinita (PI. XXIV, fig. 2), the 

 Ilala palm, which is used by the natives for making baskets. 

 While it occurs all along the coast, it is particularly well- 

 developed around Port Shepstone, and again in Zululand. 

 Hyph^ene acts as a pioneer, and being an intense light- 

 demander it is easily killed out by taller-growing species. 



