Alien plant species of Haenertsburg Village, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

It is generally accepted that urbanisation is changing the composition of species, mostly in urban and surrounding areas, through intentional introduction. The South African National Status Report of 2017 on biological invasions has shown that there is a dearth of knowledge about the invasion status of many invasive alien species in many parts of the country, such as the critically threatened vegetation, Woodbush Granite Grassland (WGG) in Limpopo Province. Consequently, the present study investigated the status of alien plants species in WGG. A roadside survey was carried out in Haenertsburg Village and its vicinity. Roads were used as survey units, and the dumpsite was used as a high risk area. A total of 136 species were identified, belonging to 46 botanical families. This study report the occurrence of 72 species which are regulated by the South Africa’s National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA, Act 10 of 2004). The present study found results significantly different from existing databases (χ2 = 16.33473, p = .0001). Included in our list are alien species that need urgent eradication: Coreopsis lanceolata L., Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link, Iris pseudacorus L., Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr,-and Rubus species as NEMBA category 1a species. Illegal dumping of agricultural waste was found to be one of the contributing factors to IAS in the area. Our study shows that Woodbush Granite Grassland is facing a new threat from invasive species.