THE PLANT ECOLOGY OF THE COAST BELT OF NATAL. 423 



shelter in deep rock-crevices and among bouldei's. Scrub is 

 always found as a marginal belt to forest, to which it gradually 

 gives way as the taller trees kill out the light-demanding 

 shrubs and small trees by shading them. While the scrub, as 

 a whole, represents a transitional stage, and as such is of a 

 very mixed character, there can be recognised two or three 

 stages in its own development. 



(a) Tambookie Associes. — This type is transitional between 

 grassveld and scrub, between vlei grasses and scrul), and it 

 develops in rocky places, in dongas, and sometimes in disturbed 

 soil or cultivated land. It is marginal to scrub in the same 

 way as scrub is to forest. The name Tambookie is applied to 

 any of the tall-growing species of Andropogon, e. g. A. 

 nardus var. validus, A. auctus, A. dregeanus, A. 

 rufus, A. dichroos, A. cymbarius var. lepidus, all very 

 similar in their growth-forms and all occurring on the coast 

 belt. They grow to a height of six to eight feet or more, 

 forming rather compact tufts. Another very characteristic 

 grass constantly occurring in this zone on the coast belt is 

 Setaria sulcata, which has very broad, sulcate leaves. 

 Setaria lindenbergiana is somewhat like it, but not so 

 common. Erianthus capensis, Ar undine 11a eckloni, 

 Pan i cum crus-pavonis and many of the group of vlei 

 grasses already described are associated. The moist grass 

 zone around the scrub is also the favourite habitat for a 

 great many other grasses, especially the coast Panicums, 

 which are also frequently ruderal (Pan i cum brizanthum, 

 P. filiculme, P. hymeniochilum, P. a^quinerve, P. 

 perlaxum, P. chusqueoides, P. laticomum, P. ziza- 

 nioides, P. deustum, P. maximum, P. leevifolium, P. 

 proliferum, P. curvatum). They are widely scattered 

 but not abundant in any one spot. Certain species of Era- 

 grostis are also characteristic, e.g. E. ciliaris,E.lap- 

 p u 1 a , E . g a n g e t i c a . 



(b) Zone op Low Shrubs and Herbs. — Here there are 

 numerous herbaceous creepers or climbers. This is probably 

 the most mixed type of all, containing the largest number of 



