A vegetation survey of the Karoo National Botanic Garden Reserve, Worcester

Abstract

A vegetation survey was carried out at the Karoo National Botanic Garden (154 ha) which is situated ± 2 km north of Worcester between the flats of the Breede River Valley and the Cape fold mountains of the Hex River Mountains. The area consists of low hills of Malmesbury shale ranging in altitude from 300 to 526 m and may be classed as semi-arid with rainfall occurring mainly in winter. A check-list of the flora of the reserve has been completed over a number of years and the vegetation was classified by means of the Braun-Blanquet method mainly in the summer of 1976/7. Seven plant communities were determined with differing floristic and environmental characteristics. Plots from each of these communities were viewed in winter and spring of 1988 to gain insight into annual, geophyte and moss cover. ’n Plantopname is in die Karoo-Nasionale Botaniese Tuin (154 ha), wat ± 2 km noord van Worcester, tussen die vlaktes van die Breederiviervallei en die Kaapse bergvoue van die Hexrivierberge geleë is, gemaak. Die area bestaan uit lae heuwels van Malmesbury-skalie met ’n variërende hoogte tussen 300 en 526 m en kan as semi-aried, met hoofsaaklik ’n winterreënval, geklassifiseer word, ’n Kontrolelys van die flora van die reservaat is oor ’n aantal jare voltooi. Gedurende die somer van 1976/77 is hoofsaaklik van die Braun-Blanquet-metode gebruik gemaak om die plantegroei te klassifiseer. Sewe plantgemeenskappe wat verskil in floristiese-sowel as omgewingseienskappe is uitgeken. Persele van elk van hierdie gemeenskappe was gedurende die winter en lente van 1988 bekyk om sodoende insig oor die eenjarige spesies, geofiete en mosse in die plantegroei te verkry.