89 



IV.— General Sketch of the Grasslands of 

 South Africa and their Development. 



1.— SOUTHWESTERN OH CAI»E REGION OF MACCHIA 

 OR FYNBOSCH. 



In this well-known region where the rainfall occurs in 

 winter and the summers are more or less dry, the dominant 

 vegetation is of a sclerophyllous type and there is little or no 

 natural grassland, though there are many grasses — nearly 200 

 .species altogether. Some of these are widely distributed over 

 South Africa aud are tropical or sub-tropical in their affinities, 

 but such species are of much greater ecological importance on 

 fhe eastern side. A few of the endemic Cape species are also 

 tropical in their affinities, but the great majority of the grasses 

 of this region belong to the tribes Aveneae, Festuceae and 

 Phalarideae, i.e., they are temperate climatic types. Most of 

 fhe species are either endemic or only extend eastward along 

 the mountain ranges as far as the Stormberg, or in a few cases 

 to the Drakensberg and Natal. Stapf has pointed out that of 

 the 174 temperate species found in South Africa 121 occur in 

 the Cape Province, and of these 84 are confined to it, and of 

 the 72 Aveneae 58 are endemic. 26 species of Pentaschistis 

 and all the 5 species of Pentameris are endemic. The other 

 important Cape genera of the tribe Aveneae are Danthonia, 

 Achneria and Avenastrum, of the tribe Festuceae Brizovyrum 

 and LasiocMoa, and of the Phalarideae Ehrharta. The great 

 majority of the species belonging to those genera are confined 

 to the South- West. 



The general plant succession in the South- Western region 

 is in outline as follows: The lithosere is extensive and the 

 usual stages are well shown, lichens, xerophilous mosses, fell- 

 field, low-growing heath, and finally a great abundance of 

 sclerophvllous shrubs forming the Macchia. The hydrosere 

 often passes through a stage where Pestiaceae are dominant, 

 contrasting with that of the eastern side where Cyperaceae 

 take their place, and the climax — like that of the psammosere 

 on the coast sand dunes — is again Macchia. It is only in a 

 few places where the total rainfall is higher and the summer 

 heat is tempered by South-Eastern mist clouds that forest is 

 developed. 



