teesident's addeess. 



study of the veld is not new, it has received considerable attention 

 at the hands of the botanists and travellers from the earliest 

 times. Some 17 years ago- Marloth gave this i\ssociation an 

 admirable account of these early explorers, including such men as 

 Burchell, Drege and Rehmann, and in that magnificently 

 illustrated work " Das Kapland " published in 1908, he reviewed 

 in detail the valuable additions to our knowledge of the veld 

 which have been made by Bolus, Medley Wood, and Sim; and 

 at the same time places on record a vast accumulation of facts 

 embodying his own detailed observations. 



The main types of vegetation throughout the world are largely 

 determined by rainfall and climate, and as both of these are 

 influenced by the topography of the country any attempt to 

 classify the different types of veld must take all these facts into 

 consideration. I therefore consulted my colleague Dr. Rogers, 

 Director of the Geological Survey, who at once kindly furnished 

 me with a map and an account of the chief physical features of 

 South Africa. He recognises three main physical features. — 



I. The Interior Plateau. 

 II. The Great Escarpment. 

 III. The country between the Great Escarpment and 

 the sea. 



I. — The Interior Plateau. 



In the Interior Plateau Rogers recognised ten main regions : — 



1. The High Veld. 



2. The Middle Veld. 



3. The Upper Karroo. 



4. The Basuto Highland. 



5. The Limpopo' Highland. 



6. The Bushveld. 



7. The Kalahari and Bushmanland. 



8. The Kaap Plateau. 



9. The Namaqua Highland. 



10. The Low Country (including much country below 

 the escarpment). 



The country below the escarpment he divides into four 

 regions : — 



1. The Great Karroo. 



2. The South-Eastern Region. 



3. The Folded Belt. 



4. Coastal Belt. 



These divisions were, of course, made from a consideration of 

 their geological formation, altitude and past geological history. 

 If, however, they are examined from the point of view 

 of the vegetation it- will be found that they form a very satisfactory 

 basis for the division of the country into plant regions, and many 

 -of the divisions correspond very closely with vegetation maps of 



