president's address. 23 



The sandy beltsi along the foothills are, after rain, covered 

 with a luxuriant growth of grass, which is composed mainly of 

 Eragrostis lehmanniana, E. supcrba, Anthephora pubescens and 

 Aristida spp. Scattered through this sandy grass veld are 

 numerous trees of the Vaal Kameel thorn (Acacia haernatoxylou) 

 which range in height from 10 tO' 15 ft., and often give the veld 

 a dull glaucous grey appearance. 



In the plains and valleys Karroo bush (Clirysoco)na tenuifolia 

 and Pentzia incana) and shrublets of Hai-puis (Euryops mulfifldus) 

 and Kapokbo'ssie (Eriocephalus pubescens) dominate the veld, 

 while scattered trees of Kameeldoom {Acacia Giraffae), Vaal 

 Kameel (A. hacmatoxylon), Haakdoorn {Acacia dctincns), Witgat 

 {Boscia albitrunca), Vaalbos {Tarchonanfhus camphoratus), 

 Blinkblaar wacht-een-bietje (ZizypJiiis mucronata), and Kriedoorn 

 {Lyciinn spp.) occur throughout. 



Towards the north of the limestone plateau almost park-like 

 scenery is produced by bushes or t)'ees of the Olijvehout, the 

 Zuurkaree, the Haakdoorn and the Vaalbos. Grass is almost 

 entirely absent from the limestone plateau, where its place is 

 taken by Karroo bush. On the western edge of the plateau large 

 Witgat trees {Boscia albitrunca) form a conspicuous feature in the 

 veld. 



The low-lying portions of the sandy veld between the Asbestos 

 Mountains and the Langeberg range are characterised by the 

 prevalence and abundance of bi'ak plants, while grass only occurs 

 on the well drained sandy slopes. 



The vegetation on the Langeberg range differs from that of 

 the Asbestos, in that it is covered with bush or scrub from abont 

 6 to 10 ft. high, in which bushes of Croton gratissimum dominate. 

 Associated with this are bushes of RIius tridactyla, Grewia flavaf 

 and Tarchonanthus campJioratiis, in fact the Vaalbosch 

 (Tarchonanthus camphoratus) often dominates the vegetation on 

 the top of the range, while Croton gratissimus is dominant on the 

 mountain slopes. 



A great variety of grasses occur on the Langeberg, chief 

 amongst which are: — Digitaria eriantha, Panicuni maximum, 

 Chloris petraea, Panicum nigropedatum , Sporobolus fimbriatxis, 

 Enneapogon tnollis, Pennisetum cencJiroidcs, Hctcropogori 

 contortus, Eragrostis gummifiua and Aristida spp. 



12. — The Kalah.JiKi Sand Veld {Plate XVI). 



North of the Orange Eiver and separating the South-West 

 Protectorate from the Union of South Africa is a large stretch 

 of sandy country lying at an altitude of 2,000 to 3,000 ft. It 

 includes the greater portion of the districts of Gordonia, Kuruman 

 and Vryburg. This area is the southern portion of the great 

 Kalahari region, and as it just falls within the scope of this 

 review, I shall refer to it as the Kalahari Sand Veld. It is 

 covered with deep sand throughout, which is in the greater part 

 of the area throavn up into long dunes which lie in a west-north- 

 west direction. 



