94 



stricta is an interesting boreal species, recorded as commoD 

 along the strand at Port Elizabeth, near the Eastern boundary 

 of the region of Macchia. The following are other litora] 

 South-Western sand dune species : Panicum distichum var. 

 nanum, Stenotaphrti m glabrum, Ehrharta brevifolia, E. caly- 

 cina, E. villosa, E. tiniflora, Brizopyriim nciitiflorum. 



In the final stages, the sand dunes become covered with 

 sclerophyllous shrubs forming Macchia, among which the 

 following are characteristic species: — Passerina filiformis, 

 Mundia spinosa, Psoralea hracteata, Myrica cordifolia, M. 

 quercifolia, Metalasia muricata, Othonna parviflora, Rims 

 glaiica, R. lucida, Euclea racemosa, Phylica ericoides, 

 Chironia haccifera, Asparagus capensis, A. medioloides, Leu- 

 cospermwm uliginosuw and species of Erica. As undergrowth, 

 there is a great variety of herbaceous forms, among which the 

 grasses play a somewhat subordinate part. The following 

 occur: — Andropogon nardvs var. marginatus, A. hirtus, 

 Koeleria cristata, Achneria ecldonii, Pentaschistis aristidoides , 

 P. thunbergii, P. patula, P. curvifolia, Danthonia lupulina, 

 Polypogon wonspeliensis, P. tenuis, Aristida angustata, A. 

 capensis, Eragrostis brizoides, Melica racemosa, Lasiochloa 

 longifolia, L. ciliaris, Urochlaena pvsilla, Brizopyrum 

 capense, Atropis borreri, A. angvsta. 



D. EuDEHAL Species ot? Ghasses. *' 



These are characteristic of waste land or cultivated land, 

 and often mark the initial stages of a sub-sere, being gradually 

 ousted by Macchia shrubs. The stages are the most easily 

 followed of all plant successions. It is noteworthy that the 

 annuals are far in excess of the perennials. Annuals are 

 characterisic of all disturbed habitats, but they are also char- 

 acteristic of dry or desert regions, where they rest for long 

 periods of drought in the form of seed. The hot, dry summers 

 of the South-West makes the establishing of perennial pioneer 

 species more difficult, since pioneers which colonize new soils 

 or bare areas have no shelter in the early seedling stages. This 

 also leads to an increase in the number of annuals, which 

 though they are common enough as ruderals on the Eastern 

 side are still more so on the West and South-West. Among 

 the ruderals are also included a larg6 number of introduced 

 species. We may therefore classify the ruderal grasses of this 

 region as follows : — 



