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Scientific Name | Hesperantha spicata (Burm.f.) N.E.Br. |
Higher Classification | Monocotyledons |
Family | IRIDACEAE |
Common Names | Kaneeltjie (a) |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Near Threatened B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) |
Assessment Date | 2023/06/12 |
Assessor(s) | N.N. Mhlongo, D. Raimondo, N.A. Helme & T. Patel |
Justification | This species has an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 9974 km² and an area of occupancy (AOO) of 156 km². It is known from between 25-30 locations and the population is decreasing due to habitat loss and degradation. With the population declining but with more than 10 locations extant it almost reaches the thresholds for listing as Vulnerable under criterion B and is assessed as Near Threatened. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | Western Cape |
Range | This species is restricted to the southwestern corner of Western Cape, South Africa, and extends from the Piketberg and Porterville to the Cape Peninsula and inland in the Tulbagh and Franschhoek Valleys. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Fynbos |
Description | It usually occurs on sandy, stony ground, but also on clay loam substrates and is especially common after fire. |
Threats |
| This species has lost 74% of its habitat (calculated using landcover data in GIS) due to agriculture (crop cultivation, wheat and vineyard farming), urban development around Cape Town and Gordon's Bay as well as infrastructural development in the past. The habitat has also become degraded due to overgrazing, alien grass and acacia invasions and the associated drying up of seep habitats. |
Population |
This species is known to be common after fire (Goldblatt and Manning, 2020) and is found in between 25 and 30 subpopulations. It is assumed that monitoring records are from non-fire years, which may underestimate the actual sizes of subpopulations.
Two subpopulations have undoubtedly gone extinct: one in Kenilworth and the other at Bergvliet farm (Constantia).
Population size data is available only for the subspecies H. spicata subsp. Spicata, with the largest recorded subpopulation in Briers Louw Nature Reserve, where between 250 and 500 plants were observed in 2015. In 2011, fewer than 50 plants had been reported at this site, and Klipheuwel recorded less than 50 plants in the same year. Over the last few years, fewer than 10 plants have been observed in several populations, including Malmesbury (2015), Joostenbergkloof (2015), Klipheuwel (2012), and Hercules Pilaar (2012).
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Population trend | Decreasing |
Bibliography |
Goldblatt, P. and Manning, J.C. 2000. Cape Plants: A conspectus of the Cape Flora of South Africa. Strelitzia 9. National Botanical Institute, Cape Town.
Goldblatt, P. and Manning, J.C. 2020. Iridaceae of southern Africa. Strelitzia 42. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
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Citation |
| Mhlongo, N.N., Raimondo, D., Helme, N.A. & Patel, T. 2023. Hesperantha spicata (Burm.f.) N.E.Br. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2024/12/07 |
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