ECOLOGICAL NOTES 217 



placed by various annual and perennial shrubs. When 

 such an area is protected from stock tlie grass gradually 

 becomes dominant again. On large tracts of Changed 

 Veld tSalvia sitnophylla is dominant, and sometimes 

 Senecio paniculatus. These two species occur also on 

 changed areas of the mountains to a height of about 

 7,000 feet. Senecio asperuliis occurs largely on changed 

 veld. Goats eat its flower heads, and it is usnal to find 

 whole tracts of- it with all the flower heads eaten off and 

 the bare stalks standing. Salvia stenopliylla, which con- 

 tains a pungent oil, is not eaten by anything, and is con- 

 sequently gaining ground. Conyzn podoceplialus occurs 

 often in dei)ressions. Lasiospermiim radiaturn is some- 

 times dominant. Cynodon dactylon occurs largely on 

 changed veld, and is often dominant. On the lower plains 

 Moraea sp. is often very abundant wiiere Cynodon dac- 

 tylon is dominant. Aster muricatus, Ajuga oplirydis, 

 Cerastium capense, Stachys aethiopica and many other 

 plants including weeds of cultivation occur on the 

 changed veld. 



Mountain For^iations. 

 Rocky Sandstone Slopes. 



This heading includes all the rocky slopes in the Cave 

 Sandstone (including lower portions of mountain sides, 

 escarpments of plateaux , sides of kloofs and rocky 

 kopjes). There is a great difference between the vegeta- 

 tion of sunny and of shady slopes or roughly between 

 that of north-western and south-eastern aspects. 



The sunny slopes, i.e.^ those with N. or X.W. aspects, 

 are usually occupied by the Andropogon Formation, with 

 the addition of such plants as Rhus erosa, Rhamnus 

 prinoides. Asparagus denudus, (which become entangled 

 in the wool of sheep), Haplocarpha scaposa, Schistoste- 

 phium erataegifolium, ^idorella (? polysepaJa), Cine- 

 raria aspera, Watsonia angnsta (in rock crevices). Aloe 

 saponaria. Mahernia parviflora and Mahernia erodioides, 



