93 



appear after a succession of dry years. In the earliest stages, 

 various Algae and hygrophilous mosses and hepatics are 

 abundant, together with ferns and flowering plants, including 

 orchids. Juncus lomatoyhyllas sometimes forms consocies. 

 The chief grass, which also forms consocies, is Stenotaphrum 

 glabrum. Towards the drier edges, Cynodon dactylon and 

 various ruderal species occur. Hygrophilous shrubs soon suc- 

 ceed, e.g., Derzelia lanuginosa, Psoralea aphylla, P. pinnata, 

 Erica curviflora, Osmitopsis asteriscoides, and numerous 

 Restiaceae, e.g., Dovea mucronata, Restio cornpressus, Elegia 

 acuminata, Thamiwchortiis dicli,otoitiu.t, and the succession 

 soon passes into typical Macchia. 



2. Vleis and Streambanlo! . In the early stages of this 

 succession, grasses are common, but once more very rarely 

 dominant. Only some of the species are distinctly South- 

 western, the majority being widely distributed over South 

 Africa. This is to be expected, since the habitat is, to a large 

 extent, not dependent on climate. The chief species are 

 Diplachne fusra, Agrostis lachn-antha, Rnttboellia compressa 

 var. fasciculata, Pennisetum thunhcrgii, Agrostis bergiana, 

 A. polypogonoides, Imperata arundinacea, Phragmites conn- 

 munis, Phalaris arundinacea, Paspalum scrobiculatum, 

 Eragrostis nebulosa, Erianthus sorghum, Polypogon monspeli- 

 ensis, P. tenuis, and a few more distinctly South- Western 

 Achneria arnpla, Danthonia cincta, T). macowani, Eragrostis 

 sarmentosa, E. glabrata, E. elatior, the last three also occur- 

 ring in the psammosere. 



C The Psammosere. 



Along the whole coast line, with certain interruptions, as 

 at Knysna, there are sand dunes, and the plant succession is 

 of course very distinct, though the climax type is again 

 Macchia. The grass Sporobolus pnngens is one of the most 

 important pioneer literal species. It extends right round the 

 coast line of South Africa from West to East, often forming 

 large consocies within reach of the spray or liable even to be 

 covered by salt water at extra high tides. Eragrostis cyperoides 

 is another literal grass which grows in large clumps on the 

 dunes from Damaraland southwards along the West Coast to 

 Capetown. The three other endemic South- Western species 

 of Eragrostis, E. glabrata, E. elatior, and E. sarmentosa, grow 

 both on the dunes and in moist spots elsewhere. Spartinn 



