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Scientific Name | Boophone haemanthoides F.M.Leight. |
Higher Classification | Monocotyledons |
Family | AMARYLLIDACEAE |
Synonyms | Boophone disticha (L.f.) Herb. var. ernesti-ruschii Dinter & G.M.Schulze |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Vulnerable A4bd |
Assessment Date | 2022/10/25 |
Assessor(s) | N.N. Mhlongo, D.A. Snijman & L. Jabar |
Justification | This species is known from over 20 locations and is still widespread but occurs as scattered, small subpopulations. The population is declining due to ongoing illegal harvesting to supply the specialist horticultural trade. It is suspected that between 20-25% of the population has been lost over the past generation (30-40 years) as a result of collection and that the decline will be ongoing resulting in a further 20-25% loss over the next two generations (60-80 years). It therefore meets the threshold for Vulnerable under criterion A. |
Distribution |
Endemism | Not endemic to South Africa |
Provincial distribution | Northern Cape, Western Cape |
Range | This species occurs south of Witputz in Namibia and from western Karoo to Saldanha in South Africa. In South Africa, it can be found specifically in the Richtersveld, Namaqualand, Langberg, Niewoudtville, Calvinia, and along the West Coast to Saldanha. This taxon is comprised of two subspecies: Boophone haemanthoides subsp. haemanthoides which is limited to the West Coast and Boophone haemanthoides subsp. ernesti-ruschii which has an inland distribution extending to southern Namibia. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Fynbos, Succulent Karoo |
Description | Plants grow on flats and rocky slopes, clay, coastal sands or stony soils. Subspecies ernestii-ruschii occurs in heavier soils from southern Namibia to northwestern Cape but still within the winter rainfall rea. |
Threats |
| An illegal trade in habitat-collected plants of this species has developed in recent years. The population is declining rapidly as a result of illegal collection with over 194 plants included in confiscations between March 2019 and July 2022, many more are likely to have been removed from the wild but not intercepted by law enforcement efforts. Surveys with individuals invoved in illegal collection along the coastal regions between Kleinzee and Groenrivier indicate that over 1500 plants were removed in 2021. |
Population |
The subpopulations of Boophone haemanthoides subspecies haemanthoides are very small and disjunct, making this taxon more vulnerable to poaching. Localized extinctions are likely in the near future due to the small subpopulation sizes. A population decline of 20-25% over the past generation is suspected with poaching trends to continue for at least one more generation (30-40 years). Ongoing monitoring of trade in this species will be necessary to establish whether the trend in poaching are aligned with suspected future declines.
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Population trend | Decreasing |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Boophone haemanthoides F.M.Leight. | Least Concern | Raimondo et al. (2009) | |
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.
Manning, J.C. and Goldblatt, P. 2012. Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 1: The Core Cape Flora. Strelitzia 29. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Snijman, D.A. 2013. Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 2: The extra Cape flora. Strelitzia 30. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
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Citation |
| Mhlongo, N.N., Snijman, D.A. & Jabar, L. 2022. Boophone haemanthoides F.M.Leight. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2024/12/06 |
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