14 president's A])])11ESS. 



The dominant grasses in the Thorn Veld are Eragrostis plana, 

 Sporobolus indicus, Theyneda triandra, Andropogon hirtus, A. 

 pcrtusus, A. uDiplcctens, and .4. Schoenanfltus. 



The thorn bush which gives the country a park-hke 

 appearance is chiefly the sweet thorn {Acacia Karroo). Other 

 common trees and bushes occurring in the open grass veld are 

 Acacia caffra, A. Benthami, Dichrostachys nutans, Celasfrus 

 bnxijolius, Elirctia lioffcidofica, Trichilia Diegeana, PtacroxyJo)i 

 utile, Zizyphus mucronata, Erythrina caffra, Cussonia spicata, 

 and Sclcrucanja caffra. 



In the sheltered i^loofs on the south-eastern slopes of the 

 thorn veld thick bush frequently occurs. Of the larger trees in 

 this bush the chief are Covibrcturn Kravssii, Calodcndron capense, 

 Xynialos monospora, Celtis kraussiana, Pygaenm africanum, 

 Ficus natalensis, Podocarp'tis Thvnhergii, and Rhus longifolia. 



Typical and conspicuous succulents in the southern portion 

 of the thorn veld, are the Spekboom (Portulacaria afra), the 

 Naabooms (Euphorbia grandidens and E. tetragona), and the 

 Alwijn {Aloe ferox), while the Naaboom {Euphorbia' Tirucalli), 

 Aloe Marlofliii, Aloe candelabriDn and Aloe lufcns'nre cliaracteiistic 

 of the northern portion. 



The Berg Veld or " Sour Veld " including the Basuto 

 Highlands is characterised by the presence of scattered Protea 

 bush in the grass, and yellow-wood forests in the sheltered kloofs. 

 The chief grasses in the " sour veld " are the Eooi Grass 

 (Themcda triandra), Andropogon ccresiaeformis, Tristachya 

 leucothrix, Trachypogon polymorphus and Harpechloa capensis. 



Taller grasses in moist situations are the Tambootie Grasses 

 i Andropogon nardus var. marginatus and .1. fiUpendulus). 



Towards the top of the escarpment the grasses tend to grow 

 more in tufts and tussocks than below. 



Closely associated with the Proteas in the escarpment are 

 the tree ferns {Cyathea Drcgii) and Kaffir bread trees 

 (Encephalartos ghellinchii) . 



The chief trees composing the yellow-wood forests are 

 Podocarpus elongata, P. Thunbergii, Olea laurifoUa, Myrsine 

 vielanophleos, Rhus Icevigata and KiggeJaria dregeana. 



In addition to the yellow-wood bush or forest, one of the most 

 conspicuous plant associations in the Berg Veld is the Oudehout 

 [Leucosidea sericea) sci*ub which occurs throughout the 

 Drakensberg range. 



The Eastern Grass Veld embraces the most important forests 

 in South Africa, viz,, those that are situated on the slopes of 

 the Kaga Berg, the Great Winterberg, and the Amatola Mountains 

 and their foothills. They include the Katberg, Amatola and 

 Perie forests. 



These forests are good examples of mixed forests, although 

 the larger portion of the trees are composed of the common and 

 the true Yellow-woods {Podocarpus elongata and Podocarpus 

 Thunbergii), the latter occurring in the higher regions, the former 

 on the lower slopes of the forest. 



