103 



t lie shallow moist depressions known as "laagtes." Surface 

 water may not be present, in fact it rarely is, but nevertheless 

 the habitat is more mesophytio than elsewhere in the region. 

 After rains, they tend to spread very quickly, forming part 

 of the "opslag" type of vegetation, and during the long spells 

 of drought they retreat to the moister centres of distribution. 

 The Kweek gras. Cynodon incompletus, is one that behaves 

 like this. 



The two most important genera in the Karroo are 

 Aristida and Eragrostis, as they are also in the initial stages 

 of grassland succession on the whole of the eastern side of 

 South Africa. The species of Aristida are A. adscensionis, A. 

 bipartita, A. congesta, A. barbicollis, A. vestita, A. ciliata, 

 A. obtusa, A. uniplumis; and of Eragrostis, E. curvula, E. 

 chloromelas, E. porosa, E. bicolor, E. procumbens, E. 

 brizoides, E. bergiana, E. oJ)tusa. 



Sporobolus is another pioneer genus as a rule, and in the 

 Karroo region it is represented by S. ioclados, S. tenellus, S. 

 ludwigii, S. fimbriatus, S. indicus. 



Other Karroo species include Tragus koelerioides, T. 

 racemosus, Crossotropis grandiglumis, Oropetium capense, 

 Enneapogon scaber, E. scoparius, E. mollis, E. braclty- 

 stachyus, Schismus fasciculatus, S. aristulatus, Tetrachne 

 dregei, PentascJtistis an gusti folia, Achneria setifolia, EJirharta 

 erecta, E. calycina, Avenastlwm turgidulum, A. antarticum, 

 Fingerhuthia africana, F. sesleriaeformis. 



A number of more typical Eastern species are also fairly 

 frequent in the moister situations mentioned, e.g., Rottboellia 

 compressa var. fasciculata , Elionurus argenteus, Andropogon 

 nonius var. marginatus, A. Jiirtus, A. contort us, Anthistiria 

 imberbis, Paspalum serobiculutum, Digitaria eriantha, 

 Panicum serratuni, P. deustum, P. maximum, P. minus, 

 A.ronopus semialatus var. ecklonii, Tricholaena setifolia, T. 

 rosea, Koeleria cristato, Chloris virgata, Ch. petraea. Stipa 

 dregeana and Eragrostis lehmanniana occur only in the shade 

 of the stream-bank Bush. 



The following are hygrophilous and belong to the 

 hydrosere, Erianthus capensis, Andropogon dregeanus, 

 Setaria lindenbergiana, S. aurea, S. flabellata, Pennisetum 

 macrourum, P. thunbergii, Arundinella ecklonii, Phragmites 

 com munis, Polypogon monspeJiensis, Agrostis lachnantha. 



