African Wildlife & Environment Issue 84 2023

FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

Then there are a very few species that are fire reseeders. Two of the most notable are the pioneering species of Virgilia - with V. oroboides being a Cape Peninsula endemic and V. divaricata originally confined to the Knysna area. Another example is Podalyria calyptra . Finally, there are a few species that are essentially Rocky-outcrop specialists - and these include Heeria argentia , Diospyros glabra , Maytenus oleoides , Olea capensis subsp. capensis and Maurocenia frangula . Podocarpus elongatus is both a Rocky-outcrop and Riverine species - mostly north of Cape Town in the Cedarberg Mountains.

ABOVE flowers of Virgilia oroboides and LEFT resprouting of Podocarpus elongatus – this in a tree that was blown over in the NW gale in Kirstenbosch many years ago. Today this tree is recovering well, thanks to its ability to resprout

ABOVE a Rocky-outcrop community near Bains Kloof with typical Afromontane Forest marginal plants such as Olea capensis subsp. capensis and Maytenus oleoides and RIGHT a close-up of O. c. subsp. capensis in green fruit

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