Living Collections
Transcrição
Living Collections
Newsletter of the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Volume 8 No. 2 ISSN 1027-4286 January 2004 17th AETFAT Congress New Books from SABONET Living Collections: Zambia and South Africa SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 69 c o n t e n t s Book Reviews ON OUR COVER: Stipagrostis plain in the 100 Invasive Aquatic Plants Usakos area. (Photo: S. Schubert) 101 Swaziland ferns and fern allies Cover Stories 75 SABONET’s Participation at the 17th AETFAT Congress 80 New books from SABONET 84 Living plant collections: The Natal National Botanical Garden 86 91 Living plant collections: The Botanical Garden: a Window on National Plant Diversity Regulars 71 Editorial 72 Letters to the Editors 102 From the Web 108 The Paper Chase 115 Regional News Update 121 E-mail Addresses 80 New books from SABONET Living plant collections: Developing a Teaching Botanic Garden at the University of Zambia Features 73 Profile: Dr Salomão Bandeira 74 Profile: Soul Shava 82 The Eduardo Mondlane University Herbarium, Mozambique 96 Threatened Plants Programme Gerbera aurantiaca: Flagship Species 75 AETFAT Congress 84 Natal National Botanical Garden 70 115 Regional News 96 Gerbera SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 letter from the editors Newsletter of the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Editors EDITORS: YOLANDE STEENKAMP & MARTHINA MÖSSMER R ecent months have seen many changes at the SABONET Regional Coordinator’s Office! Dr Stefan Siebert left for a teaching position at the University of Zululand earlier this year, and has been replaced by Yolande Steenkamp. Yolande will manage the SABONET Project to its close in mid-2004. Yolande is ably assisted by Elsabé Malan, who has been working as administrative and financial officer since Nyasha Rukazhanga-Noko and Ms Lorna Davis left the project for new positions at the National Botanical Institute and the University of the Witwatersrand respectively. We have also had many welcome additions on the editorial front in the past several months: Celia Belgraver de Vos, Lidia Gibson, Nicole Meyer, and Hanlie van Heerden are all assisting with the editing of the many manuscripts we have received for publication this year. Antoinette Burkhardt is still the design and layout expert for all our publications, including SABONET News. E-mail addresses have of course also changed, so here is a quick update: Yolande Steenkamp—Regional Coordinator—[email protected] Elsabé Malan—Administrative and Financial Officer—[email protected] Marthina Mössmer—Editor-in-Chief—[email protected] In this issue we include profiles for Dr Salomão Bandeira and Soul Shava, and articles on SABONET participation at the 17th AETFAT Congress and the Eduardo Mondlane University Herbarium. Our Living Collections section features the Natal National Botanical Garden, the development of botanic gardens in Zambia, and the Threatened Plants Programme. Regional News includes information on internships to Cape Town and Pretoria, field trips to the Kaokoveld and the Khomas Hochland in Namibia, and a report on retracing Burchell’s route in the eastern Cape, South Africa. Read more about the latest SABONET publications on page 80. Enjoy your reading! —Yolande Steenkamp & Marthina Mössmer Yolande Steenkamp Marthina Mössmer Copy editors Lidia Gibson & Hanlie van Heerden Design and Layout Antoinette Burkhardt Vanilla Design Studio (27) 82 909-0109 Reproduction and Printing Business Print Centre (27) 12 349-2295 Subscriptions Elsabé Malan [email protected] Website www.sabonet.org Submission of Manuscripts Marthina Mössmer [email protected] See Instructions to Authors on page 72. SABONET News is the official newsletter of the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network (SABONET). SABONET National Botanical Institute Private Bag X101 Pretoria 0001 SOUTH AFRICA Tel.: (27) 12 804-3200 Fax: (27) 12 804-5979/3211 SABONET News is published in March, July and November and is distributed free of charge. Printed on acid-free Dukuza Plus Matte coated paper, which contains a minimum of 60% bagasse—the residue remaining after sugar has been extracted from sugar cane. This newsletter was made possible through support provided by the GEF/UNDP (SABONET is a GEF Project implemented by the UNDP) and the Regional Centre for Southern Africa, Gaborone, Botswana, US Agency for International Development (Plot no. 14818 Lebatlane Road, Gaborone West, Extension 6 Gaborone), under the terms of the Grant No. 6900283-A-00-5950. The opinions expressed in the newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the US Agency for International Development, the GEF/UNDP, the SABONET Steering Committee or the National Working Groups. SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 71 l e t t e r s to t h e e d i t o r s T he March 2003 issue of SABONET News was packed with educational and informative articles. My attention was drawn by two articles in particular: “A Tribute to SABONET Contract Staff” and “Farewell Nyasha!”. As a member of the SABONET team since December 2000, I feel convinced that the great network of participating countries will remain strong into the future, building on the knowledge of the importance of plant diversity in southern Africa, not only as a unique heritage, but as an essential part of our daily lives and needs. I attended an advanced Database Management and Networking course at the Pretoria National Herbarium in May 2002. It was during this visit that I felt the great bond that exists among the members of SABONET. I had the opportunity to meet fellow data capturers [email protected] relations between the Regional Office, all par-ticipating countries, and the SABONET staff. from the ten participating countries. Nyasha, who was project secretary until recently, has left the SABONET team for a new job. She delivered high quality work and I am glad that this has been recognised by the NBI. “All the best to you Nyasha!” As a capacity-building initiative, the SABONET project has been very successful, equipping people with many skills that will serve them well after completion of the project. Lastly, thank you to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for funding SABONET, also to the Regional Office, participating countries, fellow SABONET staff from all over, NBI staff, and staff members of the Herbarium of Malawi, for their great support. And to the SABONET News editors: “Keep it up! You are doing a good job.” Thank you, Stefan and Nyasha, for the article “Tribute to SABONET Contract Staff”. I am proud to have been a member of this successful team. Through interaction and knowledge gained, I can make a meaningful contribution to my institution and country. As I have taken my leave of the SABONET project on 30 June 2003, I bid farewell to a project that will always be remembered for the good —Donald Mpalika National Herbarium of Malawi Zomba [email protected] [email protected] Various SABONET expeditions. (Photos: SABONET) instructions to authors 1) 2) 3) 72 Manuscripts should preferably be in English. If possible, text should be sent in electronic format via e-mail or on a stiffy disk and should be in Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, or Rich Text Format. Otherwise, hard copy can be sent or faxed to the SABONET head office. Tables and charts should be in one of the following formats: Microsoft Excel, Quattro Pro, Lotus 1-2-3, or Harvard Graphics. Data must be supplied with charts. 4) 5) 6) If possible, include colour slides, black-andwhite photographs, or line drawings to illustrate articles. If you want to submit scanned images with your article, scan them at 300 dpi and save as TIF or JPEG files. Caption all tables, figures, and photographs clearly on a separate sheet. Include photographer credits. Each author should provide name, affiliation, postal address, telephone and fax numbers, and an e-mail address (if applicable). Look at the most recent issue of SABONET News for stylistic conventions. 8) SABONET News holds the right to edit any received copy. 9) Manuscripts should be sent to Marthina Mössmer. Via e-mail: [email protected] Hard copy: SABONET, National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X101, Pretoria 0001, SOUTH AFRICA. Fax: (27) 12 804-5979/ 3211. 10) Submissions for the next issue should reach the editors before 29 February 2004. Late submissions will not be included. 7) SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Profile Dr Salomão Bandeira S alomão Bandeira was born on 17 September 1965 at Maxixe, west of Inhambane Bay, in southern Mozambique, an area of coastal mosaic vegetation interspersed with coconut tree plantations. The area, including the bay, has extensive mangroves and seagrass beds. He lived most of his childhood at Gondola, a railway village in central Mozambique, which consists primarily of miombo and mixed woodland. the civil war in Mozambique. This choice of location steered Salomão’s studies in the direction of marine botany. At the time there was a capacity-building project funded by SIDA (Swedish International Development Agency) that took place in cooperation with the government of Mozambique. SIDA funded graduate work in the marine sciences. As a result, Salomão was selected to enroll in the Master of Science program at Gothenburg University in Sweden. After having successfully acquired his M.Sc. degree in 1994, he was pleased to be selected for the PhD program in the Department of Marine Botany at Gothenburg. In 2000 he successfully defended his PhD thesis on seagrass diversity and ecology and was awarded a doctorate. He was one of the few people who recognised the importance of seagrass ecosystems, a research field that today is considered one of the most important for coastal zone management in the tropics. A Rich Career When Salomão went out to cultivate the family fields or walked to school, or explored the surrounding areas during his free time, he was already observing the natural world around him, eager to learn all he could about it. During school holidays, his father, a railway worker, used to take him and his brother per cargo train to the Beira Corridor. There the scenery was different and this further stimulated his interest in natural history. His interest in marine biology was born after he moved to Maputo, aged 14. He was fascinated by the city shoreline, by the island of Inhaca out in the Bay of Maputo, and by Bilene, a coastal town several hours to the north. Education Salomão received his primary education in Beira and Gondola (1972-1976) and attended secondary school in Chimoio and Maputo (1977-1984). In 1992 he finished his 5-year Licenciatura at the University Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), Department of Biological Sciences. His thesis was on seagrass taxonomy and distribution at Inhaca Island. He was one of the first biology graduates in the country. As a result of his excellent performance as a student, he succeeded in getting a position as a junior lecturer at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane. Salomão’s career as a professional botanist began in the late eighties when Dr Jan de Koning (currently Director of the Leiden Botanic Gardens in the Netherlands) supervised his studies in basic herbarium techniques, plant collecting, and seagrass taxonomy. Inhaca Island, a place rich in history and relatively unspoiled, provided the ideal opportunity for fieldwork, as it was a safe location during SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 During Dr Bandeira’s studies for his PhD, he was fully engaged in an evolving career in the Department of Biological Sciences, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane. In 2000 he was elected Chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences, a position he held till 2003. In 2002 he was promoted to assistant professor in botany. Dr Bandeira’s marine botany research focused mainly on seagrasses, but at the same time he also worked with seaweeds, mangroves, and various aspects of terrestrial botany. The contributions by Dr Bandeira in these fields have been recognised internationally, and are often quoted in the scientific press. In total, Dr Bandeira has published over 18 papers in the field of marine botany, as well as several papers in terrestrial botany. One of Dr Bandeira’s special interests in terrestrial botany is that of traditional medicine. He has been involved in gathering information (and in training others to do so) on traditional medicinal practices, the systems of harvesting, preparing, distributing and marketing plant-based medicines. He has researched the impact of these activities on biodiversity, and how to respond to the problem of over-harvesting. He has published several articles on the topic. Related to this is a general interest in traditional folklore regarding plants, and also in their vernacular names. Subjects of early interest for Dr Bandeira included the non-medicinal uses of plants, the impact that collecting them has on the environment, and how to encourage sustainable conservation practices. In addition to deforestation, he is concerned about degradation of other vegetation communities, including through unsustainable agriculture practices. He has a special interest in the intricacies of how abandoned fields regenerate over time. A Tremendous Task Dr Bandeira’s interest in marine botany naturally led to a growing interest in inland aquatic botany and he has recently been involved, through the university, in taking an inventory of fresh water plants in various rivers in the Maputo Province. Dr Bandeira has a particular interest in threatened species and has been known to refuse to collect a specimen if he sees only one. He realises that controlling the threat to rare and over-collected species is very difficult anywhere, but shares a determination with other local botanists to try to monitor the situation as well as possible. Dr Bandeira is a very active international researcher, who has supervised several BSc and MSc students. He currently coordinates several international research programmes funded by the European Union, Swedish Sida, The Netherlands (NUFFIC) and others. Much of the flora of Mozambique is poorly surveyed and Dr Bandeira has been organising expeditions to the least well-known areas of botanical interest. He has also been involved in managing the herbarium at UEM, in making many improvements there, and in overseeing the ongoing updating of the curation of specimens. Versatility An Inspired Vision! While Dr Bandeira has become an authority on marine botany, including the macroalgae, seagrasses, and mangrove communities, he also has a broad expertise in terrestrial and inland aquatic botany. Although a taxonomist by training, he approaches botany from many different perspectives and this is reflected in his various projects and publications. Not intimidated by big projects, Dr Salomão Bandeira has been a driving force behind the regeneration of the university botanical garden, which had been used for cultivating food during the civil war. Through UNESCO he has been able to find funding to develop the garden, taking a personal role in redesigning it, and in restocking the plant beds through collections made on expeditions around the country. 73 He was co-author of two pamphlets about the garden, and a brochure entitled O Jardim Botánico Universit·rio de Maputo e a Conservação das Plantas Medicinais e Plantas Ameaçadas. Through these publications he has aimed to promote his ambitions for the development of the garden as a resource for the general public. It is his dream that the garden will house an education centre, a medicinal plant conservation centre, and be a place of peace and beauty at the edge of the city. Approachable As an assistant professor, Dr Salomão Bandeira has been involved in improving the technique of teaching botany at UEM, and in promoting research, publishing and other professional development among the staff. One of the highlights of his career was the co-organisation of an exhibit in Maputo, held for the King and Queen of Sweden, in 1998. The exhibit focussed on the marine biology program and the Marine Biological Station of Inhaca Island. sources and Sustainable Development”. In the field of terrestrial botany, his publications have focused on aspects of plant diversity and utilisation, conservation, medicinal plants and ecology. Topics include the diversity and uses of plant species at Goba in the Lebombo Mountains; non-medicinal plant uses on Inhaca Island; African ethnobotany and healthcare, especially in Mozambique; and the ecology and conservation status of plant resources in Mozambique. He has been involved in several consulting projects throughout the country. He is currently co-authoring two books. The first, with D.Bolnick, entitled “A Guide to Wild Flowers of Southern Mozambique / Flores Nativas do Sul de Moçambique”, will cover over 300 species. The second book, is co-authored with H.Beentje: “A Field Guide to the Mangroves of Africa and Madagascar”. Dr Bandeira is particularly interested in the genus Ceropegia, and in the plant families Amaryllidaceae, Malvaceae and Iridaceae. It Runs in the Family! As a teacher, he is popular and well respected, yet approachable. International Involvement and Publications For his professional development Dr Salomão Bandeira has taken advantage of various conferences and workshops, including as a participant, in Africa, Australia, Europe and the USA. In 1997, at the AETFAT Congress in Harare, Dr Bandeira co-chaired a symposium on “Plant Re- Dr Bandeira’s wife, Romana, has a PhD in entomology and also lectures at UEM. Their young daughter, Ambar, loves to go hiking in the bush with her parents. She already has an interest in wild flowers. By the time you read this article, Ambar may have a little sister…. —D. Bolnick, M. Björk & F. Barbosa Profile Soul Shava S oul was born in the mining and wildlife resort town of Hwange (then Wankie), Zimbabwe, on 14 October 1967. He completed primary education at Maphisa School in Bulawayo and secondary education up to Ordinary Level at Ihlathi School. He went on to complete an Advanced Level secondary education at Manama High School in Gwanda in 1986, graduating top of his Biology class. On completing his high school education, Soul went on to study at the University of Zimbabwe where he obtained a BSc Honours degree in Biological Sciences in 1990. He majored in Botany and Ecology. Soul started work at the National Herbarium and Botanic Garden of Zimbabwe in 1994 after four years as a Biology and Science teacher at two high schools in Mashonaland Central Province. In his new career, he started off as a Research Officer responsible for environmental education and the curation of the grass section. Involvement in environmental education eventually culminated in Soul going on the WWF Prince Bernhard Scholarship to Rhodes University, South Africa, where he obtained a Master of Education degree in Environmental Education in 2000. Soul has a keen interest in indigenous knowledge systems. He has published several articles and booklets on traditional conservation, the use of wild plants for food and medicine in local communities, and on myths and story telling. Currently Soul is a Principal Research Officer at the National Herbarium and Botanic Garden of Zimbabwe. He is also the curator of the Botanic Garden and heads the Environmental Education section of the institute. 74 SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 SABONET’s Participation at the 17th AETFAT Congress Some of the southern African delegates who attended the XVIIth AETFAT Congress. (Photo: J. Wieringa) From left to right: Ms Gladys Msekandiana (NHBG, Malawi), Ms Ferozah Conrad (NBI, South Africa), Mr Titus Dlamini (National Herbarium, Swaziland), Ms Samira Izidine (INIA, Mozambique), Ms Angela Gono-Bwalya (University Herbarium, Zambia), Ms Angeline Khunou (NBI, South Africa), Ms Ruvimbo Mapaya (National Herbarium, Zimbabwe), Mr Chris Cupido (NBI, South Africa), Prof. Gideon Smith (NBI, South Africa), Dr Gail Reeves (NBI, South Africa), Prof. Brian Huntley (NBI, South Africa), Dr Jameson Seyani (NHBG, Malawi), Mr Erich van Wyk (MSB, South Africa), Dr Stefan Siebert (SABONET, South Africa). I t seems like yesterday when we were editing articles on the 16th AETFAT Congress for SABONET News 5(3) 2000. Two interesting articles were featured to commemorate the 50th year of the Association for the Taxonomic Study of the Flora of Tropical Africa (AETFAT), one on its history (Rammeloo 2000) and another on the Association’s vision for the new millennium (Demissew 2000). SABONET was well represented at the Congress, since the steering committee held a planning meeting to coincide with the historical occasion. Once again, SABONET is fortunate to share some news on AETFAT. The seventeenth congress was held in Ethiopia during September 2003. Since its inception in 1951 in Brussels, Belgium, it was the fourth time that the AETFAT Congress had been held in Africa. Other African venues include Pretoria, South Africa, in 1982, Zomba, Malawi, in 1991, and Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1997. At the SABONET Steering Committee (SSC) meeting held on 29 August 2002, the committee stressed the importance of participation by SABONET in an African Congress with the magnitude of AETFAT. As SABONET had entered its Exit Strategy to ensure sustainability in future, it was decided that young botanists should be given SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Six (out of 22) students submitted abstracts and all were accepted by the convenors of the AETFAT symposia during May/June 2003. Subsequently, these students were funded by SABONET to attend the 17th AETFAT Congress in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 21-26 September 2003. Sponsored delegates included Ms Samira Izidine (Mozambique), Ms Patricia Craven (Namibia), Mr Christopher Cupido (South Africa), Mr Titus Dlamini (Swaziland), Ms Angela Gono-Bwalya (Zambia) and Ms Ruvimbo Mapaya (Zimbabwe). The students obtained their MSc degrees from the universities of Cape Town (3), Pretoria (1), Stellenbosch (1) and Witwatersrand (1). The student delegates and trip coordinator all presented posters at the AETFAT congress (abstracts listed at the end of this article). tary General of AETFAT, National Herbarium, Ethiopia), mentioned how pleased they were with the activities and achievements of the project. Considering SABONET’s new focus on the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), the keynote address of Prof. Peter Crane, Director of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, was of special interest to the project’s efforts to make taxonomy relevant to plant conservation. He mentioned that the SABONET project was probably the most successful digitising initiative of its kind in the world. He proposed it as a model to be emulated elsewhere as a capacity-building project that works. He also stressed the value of the SABONET Red Data List to support Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank project in southern Africa. He urged taxonomists to focus on capacity-building that would encourage taking on a pro-active role regarding in situ conservation. Taxonomists have the potential to switch on the warning lights for plant extinctions—prevention is better (and cheaper) than cure! I sincerely hope that Prof. Crane’s message has urged taxonomists to become more involved in plant conservation. SABONET’s presence at this conference was well received, and several delegates, including Prof. Sebsebe Demissew (Secre- Based on an international recognition of the importance to determine the needs of the users of taxonomic information and her- the opportunity to attend this international congress to establish networks with prominent botanists from other institutions. Students who had successfully completed their MSc degrees with financial support from SABONET, were afforded an opportunity to attend the AETFAT Congress and present their research findings. 75 baria, approximately 20 taxonomists and conservationists present at the AETFAT Congress, attended an informal meeting chaired by Mr Jonathan Timberlake (Biodiversity Foundation for Africa). Discussion revolved around means of improving the services, offered by taxonomists, to be of greater relevance to the conservation fraternity. I took the liberty of taking notes at the meeting and present the main ideas below. I hope that these ideas will evoke debate and thought that could result in more user-orientated products. Of great importance is that it will serve to bring conservationists and taxonomists closer together on the same playing field. Conservationists expressed the following needs: • More detailed label information on herbarium specimens, for example always include ecological data, abundance of taxon, and GPS readings. • The provision of good scientific information about rare and threatened plants in a user-friendly manner, by means of, for example, posters, talks, and school programmes. • The collation and provision of species information required by parks, nature reserves and other conservancies to include checklists, name changes, distributions, and endemic species per biome. • The setting of standards for taxonomic publications to create opportunities for Red Data List assessments, abundance calculations, and ecological info to be published alongside taxonomy. • To take note of IUCN Red List approaches—the data on which initial estimates are based are minimal, and too many techniques are available to conduct assessments. • The development of a website with a standardised database to allow sharing of information on rare plants. Case studies involving threat assessments in the field should be included as well. • Active participation in the development of field guides on poorly known areas, as well as bringing up to date those that are out of print. • The re-direction of management at institutional level to drive new approaches that will ensure the taking of responsibility concerning plant conservation. • The development of a framework that involves stakeholders in taxonomic projects to generate data that meet conservation needs, for example, bioregional planning and the production of Red Lists. • The increase in leadership within (institutional responsibility) to showcase the strengths of herbaria and to create increased awareness of taxonomy’s value 76 to conservation biology. • Facilitating the distribution of important data, while countering the belief that data are owned until the work is published, for example, conservation status of undescribed species and the alleviation of threats. • The critical evaluation of the large amount of misinformation and copying of incorrect data – training taxonomists in this regard to avoid the repetition of mistakes. • The contribution towards a two-way approach of facilitating a collaborative process of scientific information gathering that would prevent a bottleneck of information delivery between taxonomy and conservation. • The conduct of workshops to contribute towards the development of new business plans that incorporate stakeholder needs. These workshops should involve herbaria and the endusers of taxonomic information, • The development of stronger links with CBD focal points and financial decisionmakers to create opportunities for collaboration in conservation projects. • The identification of flagship species that can be used to conserve unique habitats that contain many rare and endemic species, as well as infraspecific taxa. • To win hearts and minds – passion is needed to drive taxonomic contributions towards conservation. Five SABONET delegates also participated in the post-congress tour to the Bale Mountains. They were Ms Patricia Craven, Ms Samira Izidine, Ms Angela Gono-Bwalya, Ms Ruvimbo Mapaya and myself, Stefan Siebert. We joined a group of over 50 people and travelled south along the numerous lakes of the Great Rift Valley. Prof. Enermu Kelbessa and Dr Nigussu Aklilu from the University of Ethiopia led the tour. Other people who formed part of the group included Dr Ib Friis, Prof. Peter Linder, Dr Eric Knox, Dr Alan Paton and Mr Jonathan Timberlake. The first night (27 September) was spent in Goba, a small town at the foot of the Bale Mountains. On the second day we visited the Sof Omar Caves that lie 100 km east of Goba and spent much time botanising in the dry Acacia-Commiphora woodlands of this area. On day three, we travelled up the Bale Mountains and explored the alpine zone. On the way, we passed through the lower lying Juniperus forests, Erica heathlands and high altitude, giant Lobelia vegetation. We were fortunate to leave our footprints on the second highest mountain in Ethiopia, Tullu Deemtu (4,377 m asl). Day four was spent exploring the larger lakes with ample opportunity to do bird watching. We viewed game at Bale National Park and paid a visit to a false banana (Ensete ventricosum) farm. We returned to Addis Ababa on 1 October and botanised along the roadsides on the way back through the Rift Valley. The SABONET participants met many botanists on this trip and it is hoped that these links will be strengthened in the future. In conclusion, it is important to mention that Ethiopia was a very appropriate venue for the seventeenth congress of AETFAT. It is not the wasteland that we always see portrayed on international news, but a beautiful country with a rich botanical heritage. Any botanist will find a visit to Ethiopia very rewarding. See you at the next AETFAT congress in Cameroon during 2006! The SABONET-sponsored delegates express their gratitude to the Steering Committee for affording them the opportunity to attend the congress in Addis Ababa and the postcongress tour to the Bale Mountains. They also thank the SABONET Regional Office for arranging for their attendance. DEMISSEW, S. 2000. Vision for AETFAT in the next millennium. SABONET News 5: 147–151. RAMMELOO, J. 2000. 16 th AETFAT Meeting: Opening speech. SABONET News 5: 142–146. —Dr Stefan Siebert Department of Botany University of Zululand Private Bag X1001 KwaDlangezwa 3886 Tel.: +27 35 902 6112 [email protected] The giant Lobelia rhynchopetalum growing in the alpine zone of the Bale Mountains. (Photo: S.J. Siebert) SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 AETFAT Presentations Oral and poster presentations at the AETFAT congress; number of presentations by SABONET members. Symposium Presentations SABONET Taxonomy of African plants 35 3 Forests and forestry in Africa 15 1 Phytogeography 26 2 Ecology of African vegetation 34 0 Conservation and sustainable use of African plants 36 4 Recent advances in species and generic concepts 15 1 Progress on African Floras 24 1 Convention on Biological Diversity 5 0 190 12 Chemotaxonomy of Salvia stenophylla and related taxa Centres of plant endemism and species diversity in Namibia Angela Gono-Bwalya1*, A.M. Viljoen1, T. De Castro2, B. Demirci3 & K.H.C. Ba∫er3 Patricia Craven1* & P. Vorster2 1 1 PO Box 399, Omaruru, Namibia; 2Botany Department, University of Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2 University of the Witwatersrand. 7 York rd, Parktown 2193, South Africa; De Stellenbosch, Private Bag XI, 7602 Matieland, South Africa; Castro and Brits Ecology Consultants, PO Box 2145, Cresta 2118, Johannes- * [email protected] burg, South Africa; 3Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Anadolu University, 26470-Eskisehir, Turkey; *[email protected] Salvia stenophylla Burch. ex Benth. (Lamiaceae), a perennial aromatic herb that is endemic to southern Africa, is closely related to Salvia runcinata L.f. and Salvia repens Burch. ex Benth. The specific limits between the three taxa are not clear and determined the main objective of this study, that is, taxonomic delimitation using chemical data. Since S. stenophylla is reported to contain α-bisabolol, a compound that has anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties, the identification of favourable chemotypes for commercial development was undertaken. Plant material was collected from 28 different populations. Trichome studies were performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The hydrodistilled essential oil was analysed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). The SEM results showed a diversity of trichomes, even though they did not reveal variation of the types between the different taxa. The essential oil composition showed immense qualitative and quantitative variation within and between populations of the same taxon, as well as of different taxa. The cluster analysis of the qualitative data retrieved three distinct groupings, which broadly supports the delimitation of L.E.W. Codd, emphasising the value of chemical characters in taxonomic studies. Systematic studies in the genus Merciera (Campanulaceae): a re-assessment of species boundaries Species richness or diversity, defined as the number of species in a given area, has been mapped for Namibia and the same method applied to endemic plant species. Two maps, based on georeferenced specimens and records in literature, were overlaid and compared. Many areas were found to correspond and localities with high overall species diversity and endemism were detected. Reasons for the richness in the identified areas are suggested. Centres of plant endemism and diversity have also been identified in Namibia, using a different approach based on geographical distributions of individual taxa. Differences between these centres are discussed, for example the Kaokoveld, Gariep and lesser-known ones, and the locations identified in the first approach. The first approach examined all species, regardless of their locality in the world, while the latter approach was only concerned with range-restricted taxa, in particular those limited to Namibia. Our study looked at the geographical ranges, not taking growth form or other factors like climate and topography into consideration. The data obtained on the distribution ranges of individual endemic species were compared with taxon phytogeographic centres— numerous species were found to correspond to these centres. Phylogeny and biogeography of the genus Melianthus L. (Melianthaceae) Titus S. Dlamini1* & H.P. Linder2 1 *National Herbarium, Malkerns Agricultural Research Station, P.O. Box 4, Malkerns, Swaziland; 2Institute for Systematics, Switzerland; Chris N. Cupido1* * [email protected] 1 Compton Herbarium, National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X7, Claremont, 7735, Cape Town, South Africa; *[email protected] Patterns of morphological variation were investigated in the genus Merciera A.DC. to re-assess the species boundaries. This study differs from previous studies in the genus, because it employs multivariate statistical methods. The study entailed the analysis of vegetative and floral characters obtained from herbarium specimens. The results of cluster analysis and principal coordinates analysis support the recognition of six taxa. SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Melianthus L. is a southern African genus of eight species of shrubs and woody herbs. The genus has an extremely diverse floral morphology. All flowers have a cup-shaped nectary and they exude copious amounts of unusual black nectar. We present a summary of the biology, phylogeny, and ecology of the genus, as well as the implications of species distribution. Since Melianthus has adapted to the afromontane grasslands in the eastern part of southern Africa, as well as to the semi-arid parts in the western part of the sub-continent, the genus is best placed to test documented 77 theories on the evolution of the flora of southern Africa. A cladistic analysis of morphological characters (including vegetative, floral, pollen, and seed coat structure), using Bersama and Greyia as probable sister species, reveals that the genus is monophyletic, with M. major retrieved as the basal species and the rest of the species clustered between two major clades. Hawk’s theory that taxa develop from a geographically widespread species with subsequent adaptive radiation to other areas, seems to be contradicted by the fact that M. comosus, and not M. major, is the most widespread species. The theory that speciation within southern Africa has been largely influenced by ecological variables and allopatric distribution, is well supported. form of short Sand Forest that covers about 14 000 ha in the Licuáti Forest Reserve, southern Mozambique. Characteristics include vegetation structure, floristic composition, and high levels of endemism. The aim of this study was to gather information on the floristic composition, utilisation and conservation of Licuáti Thicket that will aid in the development of a vegetation dynamics model. Such a model can be used to guide reserve management, land-use planning, and sustainable utilisation programmes to conserve this rich, endemic vegetation type for future generations. This will only be effective if the indigenous knowledge systems of the area are incorporated and used in conjunction with official law enforcement. Morphological phylogenetic analyses of Euphorbia L. (Euphorbiaceae) with an emphasis on southern African representatives Southern African Botanical Diversity Network (SABONET): Has it developed the regional botanical expertise it promised? Ruvimbo J. Mapaya1*, T.A. Hedderson2 & P.V. Bruyns3 Stefan J. Siebert1*, B.J. Huntley2, N. Nobanda3, P.S.M. Phiri4, T. Dlamini5, G.F. Smith6, G.L. Maggs-Kölling7, M.A.C. da Silva8, A.C. Chikuni9, M. Polaki10, N. Mosesane11 & E. Costa12 1 National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, PO Box A889, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe; 2Department of Botany, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa; 3Bolus Herbarium, Department of Botany, 1 University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa; Institute, Private Bag X7, Claremont 7735, South Africa; 3National Herbarium * and Botanic Garden, PO Box A889, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe; 4Herbarium, [email protected] SABONET, Private Bag X101, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; 2National Botanical Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zambia, PO Box 32379, The genus Euphorbia L. is morphologically diverse and nearly cosmopolitan. Both succulent and non-succulent species are found within the genus. Succulent species occur in most arid and semi-arid areas of the world, but show their greatest concentration and diversity of form in southern Africa, and in particular the Cape Floristic Region. The monophyletic and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Euphorbia were investigated, based on 21 morphological characters. These were obtained and scored from taxonomic literature and by examination of live and herbarium specimens where possible. Fifty-one species of Euphorbia and four outgroups from Monadenium and Clutia were chosen and sampled. The data were analysed using parsimony methods. The results showed that the genus Euphorbia is non-monophyletic as long as Monadenium is excluded. Morphological characters managed to resolve relationships among some broad groups of Euphorbia. These results indicate that the morphological characters of Euphorbia could potentially play an active part in the phylogenetic reconstructions of the genus. Although the results obtained in the current study are preliminary, the groundwork has been done for future studies of phylogenetic relationships in the genus Euphorbia. Lusaka, Zambia; 5National Herbarium, Malkerns Agricultural Research Station, PO Box 4, Malkerns, Swaziland; 6National Herbarium, National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X101, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; 7National Herbarium, National Botanical Research Institute, Private Bag 13184, Windhoek, Namibia; 8 Herbarium, Department of Botany, National Institute for Agronomic Research, PO Box 3658, Maputo, Mozambique; 9National Herbarium and Botanic Gardens of Malawi, PO Box 528, Zomba, Malawi; 10Herbarium, Department of Biology, National University of Lesotho, Roma 180, Lesotho; 11National Herbarium, Private Bag 00114, Gabarone, Botswana; 12Herbarium, Faculty of Science, Agostinho Neto University, CP 815, Luanda, Angola; * [email protected] Kwadlangezwa 3886, South Africa; *[email protected] The Southern African Botanical Diversity Network (SABONET) is a donor-funded, capacity-building project that involves southern African botanists. A question often asked is whether SABONET has succeeded in developing the regional botanical expertise promised at the project’s inception in 1996, and, if so, how this has enabled herbaria and botanical gardens to address the needs of stakeholders. Incorporating the ten southern African countries, the project has involved 16 herbaria and 22 botanical gardens in the preparation of • Botanical inventories • National plant checklists • National and regional plant collecting expeditions • Computerisation of herbaria • Postgraduate support for herbarium staff • National and regional training courses • Internships for in-service training • Production of plant Red Data Lists • Threatened Plants Programmes in botanical gardens • Workshops for the end-users of taxonomic information Licuáti Forest (usually referred to as Sand Forest in South Africa) is a very distinctive vegetation type, not only because of its unique combination of rare and endemic species, but also because it has a restricted global distribution. This dry, tropical type forest only occurs in southern Mozambique and northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where it is best developed on the ancient northsouth trending dune cordons of the coastal plain of Maputaland. It is also one of the most important plant communities of the Maputaland Centre of Plant Endemism. Previously a distinction has been made between so-called tall and short Sand (Licuáti) Forest. We propose to call it Licuáti Thicket, based on Edward’s structural classification of vegetation and referring to the short, dense Regular monitoring and evaluation are important components of the project and the implementation of the main recommendations of the Midterm Review is discussed. SABONET has made a significant contribution towards the development of networking skills and networks, as well as capacity amongst botanists in southern Africa to provide a strong base of specialists, capable of addressing the information needs of stakeholders involved in plant conservation actions in the region. This paper provides an update on the project progress (September 2003), and shows that the regional botanical expertise, built through SABONET, has equipped herbaria and botanical gardens to take part in activities that aim to impact conservation on the ground. Licuáti Sand Thicket: A unique vegetation type from southern Mozambique Samira Izidine1*, A.E. van Wyk2, & S.J. Siebert3 1 Department of Botany, National Institute of Agriculture Research, PO Box 3658, Maputo, Mozambique; 2Department of Botany, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; 3Department of Botany, University of Zululand, 78 SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 An analysis of the human and financial resources used to produce the southern African plant Red Data Lists Merging tropical and southern African flowering plant data: towards an African plant database. Stefan J. Siebert1* & J.S. Golding2 L. Gautier, G.F. Smith, R. Spichiger, R.R. Klopper, S.J. Siebert & C. Chatelain 1 SABONET, c/o National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X101, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; 2Threatened Species Unit, National Botanical Institute, Private Bag (Sponsored by the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève) X101, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; *[email protected] Funds were made available to SABONET by IUCN-ROSA to compile plant Red Data Lists for the ten SABONET countries. This initiative culminated in Southern African Plant Red Data Lists, a publication edited by Golding. The report incorporates the detailed assessments from seven workshops (110 participants) and the compilations of 20 plant diversity specialists in the region. The lists are globally recognized as a significant contribution towards plant conservation in southern Africa. The question is, however, what the costs were in terms of human and financial resources, to assess the threatened plants of such a vast area (6,000 000 km2). Over 32 months, 4,100 assessments were conducted and 3,900 plant species were allocated a category of threat. The human and financial resources that were used are discussed and analysed under the headings project coordination, data collection, report preparation, information packaging, and information dissemination. This paper provides a background to the human and financial resources involved in producing a report on the most threatened plant species of southern Africa and shows that by focusing on regional botanical expertise, SABONET was able to assess 3,900 plant species at only US$ 30 each. In addition, other organisations sponsored the following SABONET-related presentations: Red Lists and conservation assessments in ten southern African countries. J.S. Golding (Sponsored by the Millennium Seed Bank) The conservation biology and taxonomic status of the threatened endemic grassland daisy Gerbera aurantiaca. I. Johnson & T.J. Edwards (Sponsored by the University of Natal—Pietermaritzburg) Phylogenetic relationships in southern African representatives of the genus Zygophyllum based on morphological and molecular evidence: phytogeographical implications. A.M. Makwarela, L.L. Dreyer, E.M. Marais & D.U. Bellstedt (Sponsored by the University of Stellenbosch) Top row (from left to right): Angela Gono in front of her poster: Chemotaxonomy of Salvia stenophylla and related taxa; Chris Cupido in front of his poster: Systematic studies in the genus Merciera (Campanula-ceae): a re-assessment of species boundaries; Patricia Craven in front of her poster: Centres of plant endemism and species diversity in Namibia. Bottom row: Samira Izidine in front of her poster: Licuáti Sand Thicket: A unique vegetation type from southern Mozambique; Ruvimbo Mapaya in front of her poster: Morphological phylogenetic analyses of Euphorbia L. (Euphorbiaceae) with an emphasis on southern African representatives. (Photos: S.J. Siebert) SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 79 New Books from SABONET Palgrave 1983, Van Wyk & Van Wyk 1997, Van Wyk et al. 2000, Van Rooyen 2001). Books by Ellery & Ellery (1997) and Roodt (1998) consider a few common trees and those of ethnobotanical importance in the Okavango Delta. Timberlake (1980) gives the only comprehensive account of the genus Acacia in Botswana. This book, therefore, represents the first attempt at producing a national checklist of tree species recorded for Botswana—it lists approximately 440 species of indigenous trees. The book is divided into two sections: the first part provides descriptions of some common trees and shrubs of Botswana, and the second is the complete checklist. To ease reference, the scientific names of the families, genera, and species are arranged alphabetically. Vernacular names are also given, in various languages, including Setswana and English. A distribution map and line drawing of the leaves accompany each taxon in the list. A glossary at the end of the book defines botanical terms used in the text. S ince the publication of the previous issue of SABONET News, three new books have appeared on the SABONET shelves. The CD version of the Southern African Plant Red Data Lists was also published to much acclaim. As always, copies are available free of charge from the Regional Coordinator’s Office. Trees of Botswana: Names and Distribution Up to the publication of Moffat Sethogo and Fanie Venter’s Trees of Botswana: Names and distribution no checklist had been compiled for the trees of Botswana. Information on tree species of Botswana is scattered in various regional publications (Coates 80 A Checklist of Namibian Grasses Grasses of Namibia have been covered in numerous publications in southern Africa as well as Namibia, for example, those by Müller (1984) and Walter & Volk (1954). Much of the information in these publications was derived from southern Africa. The authors’ aim with this book was to provide information from local sources. Only information specific to Namibia was included in the Checklist of Namibian Grasses, from notes on Namibian specimens, Namibian ethnobotanical studies, and so on. The book discusses and maps the 391 grasses indigenous to Namibia—10% of the total indigenous flora. Fourteen naturalised and nine cultivated species, as well as twelve escapees, are also included. The book is much more than a simple checklist, and in addition to synonyms and common names, includes information on life form, abundance, habitat, distribution, and uses. Status—whether the species is endemic, near endemic, endemic to southern Africa, naturalised, cultivated, or an escapee—is indicated with icons. The icons and a short definition appear at the bottom of each page in the checklist for ease of reference. Common names in the following languages are listed: Afrikaans, English, German, Ju|’hoan, Khoekhoegowab, Oshiwambo, Otjiherero, Rugciriku, Rukwangali, Shishambyu, Silozi, and Thimbukushu. A distribution map for each taxon is included. Swaziland Ferns and Fern Allies When Compton’s Flora of Swaziland was published in 1976, the pteridophytes were omitted for an unknown reason. Today, this monumental work in which 2,118 species are described, still remains the standard work for the flora of the country. More recently, A flora checklist for Swaziland (Kemp 1983) was published, bringing the number of pteridophytes known for the country to 90 species. During 2001 Koos Roux conducted a survey of pteridophyte specimens housed in some of the southern African herbaria, and concluded that no pteridophytes are known from large parts of Swaziland. Several species occurring in neighbouring South Africa have never been recorded for Swaziland. In May 2002, he conducted an intense pteridophyte survey in the area, collecting nearly 400 specimens. Many species were recorded for the first time in the country, and raised the total number of species currently known for Swaziland to 112. Subsequently, Roux compiled a new pteridophyte list that was recently published as a SABONET Report. For a detailed description of the book, see Ronell Klopper’s review on page 101. SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Upcoming Publications The following titles are also close to publication and will become available during 2004: • A checklist of Zimbabwean bryophytes • Seed plants of south tropical Africa • A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants • A checklist of Mozambican vascular plants • Herbarium essentials: southern African herbarium guide • A checklist of Zambian vascular plants • A checklist of Swaziland vascular plants • A checklist of Botswana grasses • A checklist of Botswana vascular plants • Plants of Nyika: a conservation checklist • A checklist of Angolan grasses • African Botanic Gardens Congress —Marthina Mössmer Editor-in-Chief SABONET News Vol. 8 No 1 Vol. 7 No 3 Vol. 7 No 2 Vol. 7 No 1 Vol. 6 No 3 Vol. 6 No 2 Vol. 6 No 1 Vol. 5 No 2 Vol. 5 No 3 Vol. 5 No 1 Vol. 4 No 3 Vol. 4 No 2 Vol. 4 No 1 Vol. 3 No 3 Vol. 3 No 2 Vol. 3 No 1 Vol. 2 No 3 Vol. 2 No 2 Vol. 2 No 1 Vol. 1 No 1 Vol. 1 No 2 Summary of extent and content of the newsletter since its inception Contributors 8 Pages 8 16 44 35 50 52 63 78 80 91 87 76 55 87 64 87 91 84 79 99 68 Profiles - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 2 2 1 2 2 2 Southern African Herbaria - 1 - - - - 1 1 1 - - 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 2 1 1 Living Collections - - 1 - 1 - - 2 - - - - - 1 2 3 3 1 2 2 - News from countries - 2 8 8 15 4 12 4 6 4 10 5 4 5 6 4 6 3 4 4 5 General articles/reports 9 8 11 14 16 20 15 17 15 18 14 15 7 19 15 17 25 20 23 26 19 Book reviews - - SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 7 21 24 27 38 43 38 41 38 62 33 30 59 36 45 47 38 48 63 51 - - 1 1 1 6 1 - 6 1 2 2 - 2 5 4 2 5 4 81 Southern African Herbaria Southern African Herbaria The Eduardo Mondlane University Herbarium, Mozambique A view of the Herbarium building surrounded by the Botanical Garden. (Photo: D. Maguengue) T he Eduardo Mondlane University Herbarium (LMU) was established in 1964, at the time when the Flora zambesica study was conducted. It incorporates the former LMC (Institute of Scientific Investigation of Mozambique) Herbarium. The locality of the herbarium changed several times until it was finally moved to the University Botanical Garden in 1990. The LMU Herbarium has an associated herbarium based at Inhaca Island, where it is home to local flora and macroalgae. The research done at this herbarium includes ecological and ethnobotanical research. Plant Collections The LMU herbarium contains about 63,000 specimens, distributed among 1,850 genera, represented by 256 families: Algae (35) Pteridophytes (23), Gymnospermae (6), Dicotyledons (153) and Monocotyledons (39). About three quarters of the voucher specimens at LMU are higher plants and 14% are macroalgae (Figure 1). Collections of higher plants consist mainly of the families Fabaceae (178 genera), Poaceae (155 genera), Asteraceae (137 genera), Rubiaceae (109 genera), and Euphorbiaceae (69 genera). Up to 1% of the LMU collection is type material, including isotypes and paratypes; these are mostly from central and northern Mozambique. There is a need for proper labelling of some of the type material in the herbarium. The Inhaca Herbarium collection, with approximately 1,400 voucher specimens, represents nearly 100% of the island flora. The herbarium plays an important role in plant collecting, not only locally, but throughout the country. Collecting has taken place on a relatively large scale in the Inhaca and Maputo provinces where the herbaria are located. Collecting in the Gaza and Inhambane provinces has also been more frequent than in the central and northern regions, which are generally under-collected. Since the foundation of LMU, 82 botanical expeditions have increased, and all the provinces have been covered. when herbaria are established in those regions. Main collectors in the history of LMU are: M.F.Correia, A.Marques, A.M.Perreira, E.M.C.Groenendijik, J.de Koning, A.Nuvunga, D.Zunguze, C.Boana, C.M.António and S.O.Bandeira. António and Bandeira were concerned specifically with collecting macroalgae. Many of the specimens collected in Mozambique are, however, housed in Lisbon (LISC), England (K), South Africa (PRE), Zimbabwe (SRGH), USA (MO), and The Netherlands (WAG). It would be advisable for herbaria in Mozambique to keep duplicates in future, or even just a record of the voucher material collected in Mozambique. Activities and Services In Mozambique, plant expeditions to distant areas are faced with several constraints, such as poor road infrastructure, lack of accommodation facilities, long distances between provinces and regions, and absence of funding. These problems may be more acute than in other countries in the region. Plant collecting in central and northern Mozambique will take off only Activities at LMU Herbarium and the University Botanical Garden include the following: • Collecting and preserving plant specimens • Identification of plant material • Exchange of plant material with similar institutions abroad and within the country for scientific and conservation purposes • Elaboration of seed catalogue (Index seminum) • Catalogueing voucher specimens (into SABONET/ PRECIS database) • In situ and ex situ conservation • Vegetation surveys • Teaching and research on taxonomy, plant ecology and physiology, ethnobotany, marine botany, threatened plants • Dissemination of information on ethnobotany and endangered species aimed at promoting public awareness • Provision of services Figure 1. Percentage of groups represented in LMU Monocotyledons 15% Algae 14% Pteridophytes 9% Gymnospermae 2% Dicotyledons 60% SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 The Herbarium building comprises the main area, a room for storing duplicate specimens, a library, three preparation rooms, a lecture room, and four offices for researchers. Literature The LMU Herbarium has a library specialising in plant systematics and flora. This contains most relevant publications (Floras and books) that enable basic research on flora found in Mozambique. Books and floristic works have been purchased or donated. This library, which is associated with the main library at the Department of Biological Sciences, also houses literature on botanical gardens and marine botany. Funding The LMU Herbarium is a university herbarium that falls under the Department of Biological Sciences. Funding from the Government mainly covers running costs. Other sources of funding for both the Herbarium and the Botanical Garden include: SIDA, Swedish International Development Agency (1990–present) SIDA funded the construction of the herbarium building, staff capacity-building, and upgrading the Botanical Garden. Staff The following staff members have been appointed: UNESCO (1995–1998) UNESCO provided funding for research on medicinal plant conservation and healthcare in the region of Maputo, and on ethnobotanical and cultural perceptions of cultivating medicinal plants in southern Mozambique. Funding was also used in the development of a medicinal garden within the Eduardo Mondlane University Botanical Gardens and training on quantitative ethnobotanical methods. IUCN, InternationalUnion for the Conservation of Nature (2001–2003) The IUCN provided funding used to increment the living plant collections in the Botanical Garden, focussing on threatened species and species that have a medicinal value. Other uses of funding include interactive signage and the production of pamphlets and a booklet. Herbarium curator: Dr Salomão Bandeira (Plant conservation, threatened plants, taxonomy and ecology of marine plants, including macroalgae) Scientific staff: Ms Filomena Barbosa (Ethnobotany – medicinal plants, endangered species); Ms Angelina Martins (Seagrass ecology). However, LMU has a shortage of scientific staff and the existing staff are overloaded with teaching and administration. Technical staff: Mr Julio Dungo; Mr Carlos Boana; Mr António Langa; Mr Ernesto Nacamo; Mr Aurélio Bechel; Mr Domingos Maguengue; Mr Arlindo Jane; Mr Acácio Cumbe; Mr Ernesto Boana. University Open Fund (2001–2003) This fund supports the collection of freshwater plants in selected rivers in the Maputo Province and the purchase of herbarium cabinets. —Filomena Barbosa & Salomão Bandeira The Herbarium and Botanical Garden Department of Biological Sciences Universidade Eduardo Mondlane PO Box 257 Maputo Mozambique Tel.: +258 1 491223 [email protected] [email protected] Mozambique Collectors Dates, regions, and provinces for collections by Jan de Koning and Alfredo Nununga Jan de Koning Alfredo Nuvunga 1978 southern Mozambique Maputo, Gaza & Inhambane 1979 southern, central & northern Mozambique Maputo, Gaza, Sofala, Zambézia & Nampula 1980 southern, central & northern Mozambique Maputo, Gaza, Inhambane, Sofala, Zambézia & Niassa 1981 southern Mozambique Maputo & Inhambane 1982 southern Mozambique Maputo 1983 southern, central & northern Mozambique Maputo, Sofala & Nampula 1984 southern & northern Mozambique Maputo, Nampula & Cabo Delgado 1975 central & northern Mozambique Zambézia, Niassa & Cabo Delgado 1977 southern & northern Mozambique Maputo & Cabo Delgado 1978 southern & central Mozambique Maputo & Zambézia 1980 southern Mozambique Maputo & Gaza 1981 northern Mozambique Niassa 1982 southern, central & northern Mozambique Maputo, Gaza, Tete, Niassa, Cabo Delgado 1983 southern & northern Mozambique Maputo, Gaza, Nampula, Niassa & Cabo Delgado 1985 southern Mozambique Maputo 1986 southern Mozambique Maputo & Gaza 1987–1992 southern Mozambique Maputo SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 83 Southern African Herbaria Infrastructure Southern African Herbaria I n 1874, the Natal Botanical Gardens were established in Pietermaritzburg on 52 ha of town land as a research station to investigate exotic tree species suitable for the temperate areas of the Colony of Natal, as well as to enhance the cultural life of the capital. Pietermaritzburg is situated about 80 km inland from Durban and enjoys subtropical weather in summer and temperate weather in winter. Rainfall of between 750 mm and 1000 mm is recorded during the summer months. The garden is situated at the foot of a small escarpment on a perennial river, known as the Dorpspruit (meaning “Town stream”), and is about 5 km from the city centre. Inside the Herbarium building (Photo: D. Maguengue) The garden was run by the Natal Botanical Society and funded by a grant from the British Government. Income was also generated from the sale of tree seedlings (both timber and fruit). In 1970, the garden was transferred to the National Botanical Institute as a regional garden, tasked with growing the flora of the eastern region of South Africa. Approximately 10 ha of the central part of the garden was landscaped in a very formal rectangular grid system—a style popular during Victorian times. Exotic trees and herbaceous plants, including camphor (Cinnamomum camphora), Morton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla), swamp cypress (Taxodium distichum), a wonderful avenue of London planes (Platanus x acerifolia), camellia, azalea, and magnolia were planted. Main Herbarium room and staff. (Photo: D. Maguengue) Herbarium library. (Photo: D. Maguengue) 84 In 1990 it was decided to redevelop the garden along more modern lines and to replace all the exotic herbaceous plants, such as azaleas, Liriope and Poinsettia, with suitable indigenous material. The grid of gravel paths made way for a circular interlocking path connecting the car park, restaurant, and duck pond before returning to the car park. Secondary paths were laid to other places of interest. Gerbera aurantiaca, a mistbelt grassland endemic. (Photo: Natal NBG) SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Living Collections The Natal National Botanical Garden More than three-quarters of the herbaceous plants in the garden are now indigenous and we are beginning to replace the damaged and dying exotic trees with suitable indigenous trees. The rest of the estate was cleared of gums trees (Eucalyptus spp.) and wattle (Acacia sp.) in the 1970s and replanted with a wide selection of indigenous trees from montane and coastal forests. A well-maintained network of paths takes visitors into and through this natural wonderland. At present, the curator, two horticulturists, one administrative assistant, three supervisors, two drivers, and fifteen groundsmen and -women staff the garden. Funds for maintaining the garden come from a grant of R 1. 6 million, made available by national government. An amount of R 250,000.00 per annum is generated mainly from entrance fees paid by approximately 60,000 visitors, and from rental of the restaurant near the duck pond. The NNBG concentrates on collecting and growing the plants from the eastern region of South Africa. Roughly, this area stretches from the Kei River in the south to the South Africa-Mozambique border in the north, and from the coast inland to the Drakensberg Mountains. The vegetation of the area consists mainly of grassland and remnant forest patches. Main Collections Three species of Clivia occur in our collecting area and all are under threat from collectors who are interested in their medicinal and cultural properties or who are Clivia enthusiasts. Habitat destruction is another real threat. Due to the fragmented nature of the habitats, it is important to have plants from as many populations as possible to conserve the gene pool. Clivia miniata growing under a Trichilia emetica tree. (Photo: Natal NBG) SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Kniphofia is one of those South African plants that has made an impact on the horticultural industry in Europe as a popular garden subject. Many Kniphofia species occur in KwaZulu-Natal. There are 17 species and three artificial hybrids growing in the garden. Many of the species of the very ornamental genus Dierama occur in our collecting area. We are in the process of building up as complete a collection of this genus as possible. Many of the species cannot be considered reliable garden subjects, as there are still several horticultural problems. The useful plants collection has developed from the initial medicinal garden, established in the early 1990s. The scope has been widened to include indigenous plants that are used for healing, eating, in craftwork, as hedge plants, or that are significant in any other way in the daily lives of South Africans. In keeping with the modern trend towards less formal garden landscapes, we are developing areas where the geophytes of the east coast grasslands are displayed amongst the ornamental grasses of the region. We also have a threatened plants collection. The main project, sponsored by SABONET, is to collect, grow, and popularise the mistbelt grassland endemic Gerbera aurantiaca as a garden plant. In addition, we are involved in the conservation of the extremely rare Kniphofia leucocephala, as well as several aloes and Dierama. 85 Living Collections Given that KwaZulu-Natal is the most populous province in South Africa, the Natal National Botanical Garden is ideally situated to bring to many the message of the power of flowers and the value of the floral richness that surrounds them. —Brian Tarr Natal National Botanical Garden P.O.Box 21667 Mayor’s Walk 3208 [email protected] Fax: (033) 3441284 Tel.: (033) 3443585 Learners in the useful plants garden. (Photo: Natal NBG) Aloe arborescens hybrid in the Grassland garden. (Photo: Natal NBG) The threatened Kniphofia latifolius in flower. (Photo: Natal NBG) The Botanical Garden: a Window on National Plant Diversity T he conservation of biological diversity is fundamental to the success of sustainable development, which entails the safeguarding of the earth’s resources that support life as we know it and on which we depend in the struggle to improve our crops and livestock (Heywood 1995). In southern Africa, it has been noted that floristic diversity and endemism are not evenly spread over the subcontinent, but concentrated in a number of restricted areas (Van Wyk & Smith 2001). Zambia—Biodiversity in Abundance In Zambia, plants constitute an important component of the biodiversity. The coun- 86 try is endowed with a diversity of geomorphological units, a mosaic of geological formations and soil types, which have all given rise to a corresponding diversity of vegetation formations with significant floristic diversity. The vegetation types of Zambia include the miombo woodlands along the plateau regions, the mopane and munga (Acacia) woodlands along the Luangwa and Zambezi valleys, and the Kalahari woodland in the northwestern and western provinces of the country. There are four variants of the dry evergreen forests in Zambia (Fanshawe 1971). The Cryptosepalum forests are restricted to the Kalahari sands in the high rainfall sector of the north-western and western provinces. The Marquesia forests are prominent on the Bangweulu Lake basin in the southern half of Luapula Province. The montane forests are restricted to the Nyika Plateau, represented by the magnificent Chowo and Manyenjere forest relics that are unique habitats for bird life. Parinari forests, dominated by Parinari excelsa, occur on the Copperbelt and in Serenje District. Swamp forests are widespread in the high rainfall sector of the country. Grasslands are associated with the riverine systems of the major rivers. The rich floristic diversity supports a correspondingly high diversity of fauna, as is apparent in our nature reserves and na- SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 In the Mpika district, a small community of the near endemic cycad, Encephalartos schmitzii, has been confirmed to occur in the Bwingimfumu Forest Reserve. Other populations of this cycad occur in the Kundelungu Mountain range south-east of the Congo DR. This species is threatened by foreign commercial collectors and illegal settlers encroaching on the Forest Reserve. An important timber tree, Mukwa, is harvested without regard to restock the species in its natural habitat for sustained utilisation by future generations. Endemic and rare plants, including species of ecological, medicinal and economic importance deserve a greater slot in the conservation of Zambia’s rich natural resources. The aim of this paper is to bring into focus the need to embark on an alternative option of developing a sustained Environmental Education programme by establishing a network of botanical gardens in the country. The Potential Role of Botanical Gardens A botanical garden is a facility that curates a collection of living plants for the purpose of scientific research, conservation, display and education. Therefore, depending on organisational structure and location, botanical gardens can serve different purposes to different communities. A botanical garden, while being a potential repository of botanical information, also offers recreation facilities to the general public. About 60% of the botanic gardens of the world are located in the temperate regions, particularly in North America, Europe and Asia. Few have been developed in southern Africa. Kirstenbosch Garden features as one of the prominent gardens in the SADC region. Only Munda Wanga Botanic Garden, which is based on the curation of exotic plants, exists in Zambia. Recently the development of a Teaching Botanic Garden at the University of Zambia has been initiated by SABONET. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources, the Traditional Health Practitioners Association of Zambia (THPAZ) is also planning to develop two botanic gardens for the cultivation of me- SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 dicinal plants. The District Councils of Chibombo in Central Province and Mpika in Northern Province, have allocated 50 ha of land for the development of botanic gardens in each district. The development of these botanic gardens will have a strong link with the local communities, particularly regarding the supply of water in the area. In both Chibombo and Mpika districts two boreholes will be sunk. One borehole is earmarked for the development of the garden, while the local community in the vicinity of the garden will use the other borehole. This gesture aims to promote a sense of ownership of the garden and its facilities within local communities. The SABONET National Co-ordinator will work closely with THPAZ in identifying medicinal plants, determining the ecological requirements of each species, and advising on suitable habitats for the cultivation of plants. The government has facilitated the acquisition of a 4-wheel drive vehicle and computers, while international donors have expressed an interest in assisting with the development of these specialised botanic gardens. Plants are vital to all civilisations, providing food, medicine, and clothing. The establishment of botanic gardens promoting the conservation of indigenous plants based on their utilisation as aromatics, beverages, dyes and tannins, food crops (fruits and vegetables), fibres, forage and pastures, oils, spices, timber trees and traditional medicines, could capture the conscience of our people and re-direct efforts to encourage the sustainable utilisation of plant resources. Botanic gardens have the potential to promote public awareness and positive action in relation to the importance of in situ conservation of the forest reserves, national parks and national heritage sites spread across the country. Botanical gardens, as ex situ conservation institutions, can bring important living collections of wild plants closer to the people. Each province is endowed with a unique flora, representative of the various vegetation types. The initial development of a network of satellite botanical gardens in the country could commence with their location in provincial towns. Town Councils should be sensitised to transform at least one public park into a botanical garden enriched with indigenous plants known to be unique in their provinces. In some National Parks, arboreta (singular, arboretum, a specialised botanic garden of trees,) could be developed where a sector of the national park has a unique forest stand or woodland. Brief descriptions of the flora linked to each provincial capital are given below. • Chipata, Eastern Province The development of an arboretum is a good option for Chipata, which is situated at an altitude of 1,030 m with rainfall of 1,014 mm per annum. A well preserved stand of dry miombo woodland, located along the Airport-Lundazi-Mfuwe road, would be a suitable site. The area is under the management of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA). Another conservation option would be to develop a Nature Reserve on this site, similar to the one that has been established in the City of Lilongwe, Malawi. The establishment of footpath trails and the introduction of some non-aggressive wild animals could add value to this resort for the residents of Chipata and the surrounding peri-urban areas. An idea to relocate the Ngoni’s annual Traditional Ncwala Ceremony to this site would attract more people and provide them with an opportunity to appreciate the conservation of the miombo woodland. • Kabwe, Central Province Kabwe is the provincial capital of Central Province located at 1,200 m above sea level. The Town receives an annual rainfall of 952 mm, and is situated in an area where the intermediate dry/wet miombos are prevalent. A botanical garden could be established in any one of the public parks under the management of the Council. • Kasama, Northern Province Kasama is a provincial town located at 1,380 m altitude. Registering an annual rainfall of 1,360 mm, the town is situated in the high rainfall region of the country. The wet miombo and Marquesia woodlands are prominent in the district. The Town 87 Living Collections Proposed Network of Botanic Gardens tional parks. Mwinilunga District and the Nyika Plateau are two such centres of diversity and floristic endemism. The Muchinga Escarpment zone, Mafinga Mountains, the Albertine rift valley located between lakes Mweru and Tanganyika, as well as the sandy plains in the western parts of the country are potentially rich in endemic plants. Living Collections Council could take up the challenge of establishing a botanical garden in any one of the public parks. An alternative site is the area south of the town along the Mpika road. • Livingstone, Southern Province The tourist town of Livingstone has a diversity of vegetation types. The town is located at an altitude of 960 m and has an annual rainfall of 727 mm. The Kalahari woodland occurs on deep Kalahari sands, the Mopane woodland occurs on the shallow loamy clay soils, and an evergreen rain forest stand is a unique feature at the Victoria Falls. The National Heritage Conservation Commission could develop an arboretum in the Victoria Falls area. The best site is an area around the Baobab View Point, along the road leading to Chief Mukuni. This could also be a good site for relocation of the cultural centre. The management of Sun Hotel is spearheading the cultivation of indigenous plants on the hotel premises—a very encouraging contribution to the conservation of biodiversity in the area. • Lusaka, Lusaka Province Lusaka Province is covered by extensive dry miombo woodland on the plateau and mopane and Acacia woodlands in the Luangwa and Rufunsa areas. Lusaka, which receives an annual rainfall of 806 mm, is located on the Lusaka plateau at an altitude of 1,200 m. Munga Wanga Botanic Garden already exists in the Chilanga area south of Lusaka. Under the auspices of SABONET, a Teaching Botanic Garden is being developed at the University of Zambia, focussing on plants of educational interest. This garden will also act as a recreational facility for the University community and residents of Lusaka. The gardens at the university and at Munda Wanga provide the ideal opportunity for the introduction of indigenous, and in particular threatened and endemic species. • Mansa, Luapula Province Mansa district is situated within the wet miombo woodland. Mansa town is located at an altitude of 1,180 m and has an annual rainfall of 1213 mm. Further south is Samfya district where swamp forests and Marquesia forests are prevalent on the lake basin. The Mansa Council could transform one of the public parks into a botanic garden. Plants of cultural interest, linked to the Mutomboko Ceremony of the Lunda people, could add value to the botanic garden. 88 • Mongu, Western Province The greater part of Western Province is covered by dry Kalahari woodland. Trees such as Baikiaea plurijuga (Mukusi) Brachystegia bakerana (Lundu), Copaifera baumiana (Mukuwa), and Guibourtia coleosperma (Muzauli) are unique to this area. Mongu is located at an altitude of 1,050 m and receives an annual rainfall of 1,001 mm. The best locality for the botanic garden is a site near the Museum at Litunga’s Palace, where a display of living plants adapted to the Kalahari sands, plants of cultural interest and those of nutritional and medicinal value would emphasise highlights of the famous Kuomboka annual event in the province. • Ndola, Copperbelt Province The industrial and commercial town of Ndola, which is located at an altitude of 1,270 m, receives an annual rainfall of 1,212 mm and is located within the wet miombo woodland zone. The Department of Forestry, in collaboration with the Ndola City Council that runs the Monkey Fountain Zoo, could forge an alliance to transform the Trapnell’s Fire Experimental Plots into an ecological arboretum. This arboretum would be a national asset well placed to display historical long-term effects of fire on miombo woodlands. The introduction of small mammals into the garden is an integrated approach that would attract visitors of diverse interests. • Solwezi, North-Western Province Solwezi district is located within the wet miombo vegetation type. This district lies within the centre of plant diversity encompassing the Katanga (Shaba) Province of the Congo DR and the Moxico Province of Angola. The town of Solwezi is located at an altitude of 1,330 m and has an annual rainfall of 1,368 mm. The Town Council could transform one of the public parks into a botanic garden. A number of interesting endemic species could be the main attraction in this botanic garden. An alternative site for the botanic garden could be along the road to Kasanshi Mine that also leads to the Congo DR border. • Nyika National Park The Nyika Plateau, which is the largest montane ecosystem between the DrakensbergMalothi mountain range in the south and the montane system of East Africa, is located in the north-eastern part of Zambia. This great topographical massif lies between 10 o15’–10 o59’S and 30o35’-43o05’E and covers a total area of 1,800 km2, of which 80 km2 lie in Zam- bia. The plateau experiences relatively low temperatures compared to the rest of Zambia. Maximum temperatures up to 26oC, and temperatures as low as -12oC have been recorded. Rolling grasslands dotted with stunted trees of Protea spp. cover the undulating terrain on the plateau. In the Zambian sector, montane forests are restricted to the Nyika Plateau. Two relatively large forest relics, known as Chowo and Manyenjere, are unique bird sanctuaries. Visitors flown onto the Nyika Plateau often visit the Chowo Forest, located on the road that links the Chitipa and Rumpi districts of Malawi. The site of the Zambian Resthouse, if renovated, will be an excellent transit point for tourists and travellers. One hopes that the Zambia Wildlife Authority could develop one of the forests into an arboretum. Proceeds earned from the arboretum and the rest of the National Park could be shared with the local communities in Isoka East. Conclusion The country has a chance to prevent the destruction of the unique vegetation types prevalent in a diversity of ecosystems. Plans to develop a network of hydroelectric power projects, the development of irrigation for agricultural projects and the availability of safe, clean water throughout the country, will depend on sustained water discharge. The availability of water is enhanced by indigenous vegetation cover. In addition to the above, plants constitute an important natural resource on which other life forms depend. The development of satellite botanic gardens in the country is an important strategy to sensitise the people to appreciate the value of plants, to promote their sustainable use and to get actively involved in the conservation of biodiversity for the greater benefit of all people in Zambia. FANSHAWE, D.B. 1971. The vegetation of Zambia. Research Bulletin No. 7. Government Printer, Lusaka. HEYWOOD, V.H. 1995. Global Biodiversity Assessment. Cambridge University Press. VAN WYK, A.E. & SMITH, G.F. 2001. Regions of floristic endemism in southern Africa. UMDAUS Press. —P.S.M. Phiri Department of Biological Sciences University of Zambia P.O. Box 32379 Lusaka SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 PTERIDOPHYTES (Ferns) ASPLENIACEAE Asplenium abyssinicum Fée: restricted to Victoria Falls Asplenium dregeanum Kunze: rhizomatous, restricted to Mafinga Mt. and Nyika ATHYRIACEAE Athyrium annae Kornas: endemic to Lumangwe Falls CYATHEACEAE Cyathea dregei Kunze: a tree fern, restricted to high rainfall areas Cyathea manniana Hook.: a tree fern, restricted to high rainfall areas Cyathea thomsonii Bak.: a tree fern, restricted to high rainfall areas MARATTIACEAE Marattia fraxinea Sm. ex J.F. Gmel. var. salicifolia (Schrad.) C. Chr: occurs in high rainfall areas SELAGINELLACEAE Selaginella imbricata (Forssk.) Spring ex Decne.: medicinal, restricted to Victoria Falls gorges GYMNOSPERMAE PODOCARPACEAE Podocarpus latifolius (Thunb.) R. Br. ex Mirb.: source of timber ZAMIACEAE Encephalartos schmitzii Malaisse: a cycad, restricted to the Northern Province ANGIOSPERMAE: MONOCOTYLEDONEAE AGAVACEAE Dracaena camerooniana Bak.: shrub Dracaena laxissima Engl.: scandent shrub Dracaena reflexa Lam.: shrub Dracaena steudneri Engl.: tree ALOACEAE Aloe bicomitum Leach: shrub, medicinal Aloe buettneri Berger: shrub medicinal Aloe bulbicaulis Christian: shrub, medicinal Aloe cameronii Hemsel. var. cameronii: shrub, medicinal Aloe chabaudii Schonl. var. chabaudii: shrub, medicinal Aloe christianii Reynolds: shrub, medicinal Aloe crassipes Bak.: shrub, medicinal Aloe cryptopoda Bak.: shrub, medicinal Aloe duckeri Christian: shrub, medicinal Aloe esculenta L.C. Leach: shrub, medicinal Aloe excelsa Berger var. excelsa: tree form, medicinal Aloe fimbrialis S.Carter: shrub, medicinal Aloe greatheadii Christian: shrub, medicinal Aloe litoralis Bak.: shrub, medicinal Aloe luapulana L.C. Leach: shrub, medicinal Aloe milne-redheadii Christian: shrub, medicinal Aloe mzimbana Christian: shrub, medicinal Aloe nuttii Bak.: shrub, restricted to the Nyika Plateau Aloe veseyi Reynolds: shrub, medicinal Aloe zebrina Bak.: shrub, medicinal AMARYLLIDACEAE Ammocharis tineana (Kotschy & Per.) Milne-Redh.: herb Crinum minimum Milne-Redh. Crinum harmsii Bak. Crinum macowanii Bak. ARECACEAE Borassus aethiopum Mart: tree Hyphaene petersiana Klotzsch Raphia farinifera Hylander: shrub ASPARAGACEAE Asparagus plumosus Bak.: twiner Asparagus racemosus Willd.: liane ASPHODELACEAE Bulbine abyssinica A. Rich.: a bulbous geophyte SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Jodrellia fistulosa (Chiov.) Baijnath: a geophyte Kniphofia benguellensis Bak.: rhizomatous plant, potentially ornamental Kniphofia dubia De Wild.: rhizomatous plant, potentially ornamental Kniphofia grantii Bak.: rhizomatous plant, potentially ornamental Kniphofia linearifolia Bak.: rhizomatous plant, potentially ornamental Kniphofia reynoldsii Codd: rhizomatous plant, potentially ornamental Trachyandra arvensis (Schinz) Oberm. Trachyandra saltii (Bak.) Oberm. COLCHICACEAE Gloriosa speciosa (Hochst.) Engl.: bulbous geophyte Gloriosa superba L..: bulbous geophyte HYPOXIDACEAE Curculigo multiflora Zimudzi: geophyte with corm Curculigo pilosa (Schum. & Thonn.) Engl.: geophyte with corm Hypoxis angustifolia Lam.: geophyte with corm, medicinal Hypoxis bampsiana Wiland: geophyte with corm, medicinal Hypoxis cuanzensis Welw. ex Bak.: geophyte with corm, medicinal Hypoxis filiformis Bak.: geophyte with corm, medicinal Hypoxis goetzei Harms: geophyte with corm, medicinal Hypoxis nyasica Bak.: geophyte with corm, medicinal Hypoxis polystachya Welw. ex Bak.: geophyte with corm, medicinal IRIDACEAE (All species under this family bear corms as perennating organs) Anomatheca grandiflora Bak. Anomatheca laxa (Thunb.) Goldblatt subsp. laxa Aristea abyssinica Pax Aristea angolensis Bak. Aristea nyikensis Bak. Aristea woodii N.E. Br. Babiana hypogea Burch. Crocosmia aurea (Pappe ex Hook.) Planch. subsp. aurea Crocosmia aurea (Pappe ex Hook.) Planch. subsp. pauciflora (Milne-Redh.) Goldblatt Dierama parviflorum Marais Dietes iridioides (L.) Sweet ex Klatt Ferraria glutinosa (Bak.) Rendle Gladiolus atropurpureus Bak. Gladiolus benguellensis Bak. Gladiolus dalenii Van Geel subsp. dalenii Gladiolus erectiflorus Bak. Gladiolus gracillimus Bak. Gladiolus gregarious Welw. ex Bak. Gladiolus huillensis (Welw. ex Bak.) Goldblatt Gladiolus intonsus Goldblatt Gladiolus laxiflorus Bak. Gladiolus magnificus (Harms) Goldblatt Gladiolus melleri Bak. Gladiolus microspicatus Duvign & Van Bockstael Gladiolus pussilus Goldblatt Gladiolus seremjensis Goldblatt Gladiolus unguiculatus Bak. Gladiolus velutinus De Wild. Gladiolus verdickii De Wild. Hesperantha longicollis Bak. Lapeirousia erythrantha (Klotzsch ex Klatt) Bak. Lapeirousia littoralis Bak. subsp. caudata (Schinz) Goldblatt Lapeirousia odoratissima Bak. Lapeirousia rivularis Wanntorp Lapeirousia schimperi (Asch & Klatt) Milne-Redh. Lapeirousia teretifolia (Geerinck et al.) Goldblatt Lapeirousia zambesiaca Goldblatt Moraea bella Harms 89 Living Collections Appendix: Proposed List of Useful and Endangered Plants for Ex Situ Conservation in Botanic Gardens Living Collections Moraea brevifolia Goldblatt Moraea carsonii Bak. Moraea clavata R.C.Foster Moraea macrantha Bak. Moraea natalensis Bak. Moraea schimperi (Hochst.) Pic. Serm Moraea textilis Welw. ex Bak. Moraea ventricosa Bak. Moraea verdeckii De Wild. Romulea camerooniana Bak. Savannosiphon euryphyllus (Harms) Goldblatt & Marais Tritonia laxifolia (Klatt) Benth. Zygotritonia nyassana Mildbr. ORCHIDACEAE Ansellia africana Lindl.: epiphytic orchid Calanthe sylvatica (Thouars.) Lindl.: occurs in deep forest shade Disa verdeckii De. Wild.: occurs in Mwinilunga Habenaria argentea Cribb: tubers edible Habenaria hebes I. La Crox & Cribb: edible tuber Habenaria humilior Rchb. F.: edible tuber Habenaria macrotidion Summerh.: edible tuber Habenaria pasmithii G. Williamson: edible tuber Habenaria pubidens Cribb: edible tuber Habenaria tubifolia I.La Crox & Cribb: edible tuber Habenaria velutina Summerh.: edible tuber Satyrium microcorys Schltr.: edible tuber Satyrium monadenum Schltr.: edible tuber Satyrium princea Kraenzl: edible tuber Satyrium shirense Rolfe: edible tuber PANDANACEAE Pandanus livingstonianus Rendle: shrub, occurs along Kalungwishi River POACEAE Oreobambos buchwaldii K. Schum.: rare shrub, restricted to Mbala District Oxytenanthera abyssinica (A.Rich.) Munro: shrub, used in building, making baskets VELLOZIACEAE Xerophyta equisetoides Bak.: shrub Xerophyta humilis (Bak.) T. Dur. & Schinz: shrub ANGIOSPERMAE: DICOTYLEDONEAE ANACARDIACEAE Sclerocarya birrea (A.Rich.) Hochst subsp. caffra Sond.: fruits are a source of marula wine ANISOPHYLLEACEAE Anisophyllea boehmii Engl.: tree Anisophyllea pomifera Engl. & Brehm.: fruit tree, occurs in high rainfall region ANNONACEAE Annona senegalensis Pers. Friesodielsia obovata (Benth.) Verdc.: shrub, fruits edible BIGNONIACEAE Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth.: tree, medicinal and cultural use Markhamia acuminata (Klotzsch.) K. Schum.: shrub Markhamia obtusifolia (Bak.) Sprague: tree BOMBACACEAE Adansonia digitata L.: large fruit tree CHRYSOBALANACEAE Magnistipula butayei De Wild.: tree Maranthes floribunda (Bak.) F. White: tree, restricted to high rainfall areas Parinari capensis Harv.: suffrutex, fruit edible Parinari curatellifolia Benth.: shade and fruit tree Parinari excelsa Sabine: tree, restricted to high rainfall areas COMBRETACEAE Combretum microphyllum Klotzsch.: potential ornamental shrub Combretum platypetalum Welw.: potential ornamental suffrutex DIPTEROCARPACEAE Marquesia acuminata (Gilg) R.E.Fr.: tree, restricted to high rainfall areas Marquesia macroura Gilg: tree, restricted to high rainfall areas Monotes africanus A.DC.: potential ornamental plant 90 Monotes angolensis De Wild.: potential ornamental plant Monotes katangensis (De Wild.) De Wild.: potential ornamental plant Monotes adenophyllus Gilg: tree, potential ornamental plant Monotes africanus (Welw.) A.DC.: tree, potential ornamental plant Monotes angolensis De Wild.: tree, potential ornamental plant Monotes dasyanthus Gilg: tree, potential ornamental plant Monotes discolor R.E.Fr.: tree, potential ornamental plant Monotes elegans Gilg: tree, potential ornamental plant Monotes engleri Gilg: tree, potential ornamental plant Monotes glaber Sprague: tree, potential ornamental plant Monotes katangensis De Wild.: tree, potential ornamental plant Monotes magnificus Gilg: tree, potential ornamental plant EBENACEAE Diospyros kirkii Hiern: fruit tree Diospyros mespiliformis A.DC.: a riverine tree fruit Diospyros mweroensis F.White: tree, restricted to Kalambo Falls EUPHORBIACEAE Croton gossweileri Hutch.: tree, occurs in Zambezi District Croton scheffleri Hutch.: tree, recorded in Mbala Euphorbia debilispina Leach: endemic to Lusaka West Euphorbia fanshawei Leach: considered rare in Northern Province Euphorbia perplexa Leach var. kasamana Leach: recorded in Mbala and Kasama Euphorbia speciosa Leach: recorded in Kasama, Chishimba Falls Euphorbia whellanii Leach: endemic to Mbala Euphorbia williamsonii Leach: endemic shrub to Ntumbachusi Falls Monadenium fanshawei Bally: rare, recorded in Kitwe, Chinsali and Isoka Monadenium friesii N.E.Br.: endemic to Chibombo and Lusaka Schinziophyton rautanenii (Schinz) Radcl.: used as soft timber, edible oil Uapaca kirkiana Müll. Arg.: useful fruit tree, source of Masuku wine FABACEAE Acacia amythethophylla A.Rich.: small shrub/tree, attractive in miombo woodland Afzelia bipindensis Harms: timber plant, occurs in Mwinilunga Afzelia quanzensis Welw.: potential timber species Albizia tanganyikensis Bak.f.: attractive white-barked tree, recorded at Victoria Falls Baikiaea plurijuga Harms: much harvested timber plant in Western Province Brachystegia astleii Hoyle: suffrutex, restricted to Kawambwa District Brachystegia bakerana Burtt Davy & Hutch.: shrub to small tree confined to Kalahari sands Brachystegia puberula Burtt Davy & Hutch.: tree, occurs in Mwinilunga and Solwezi Bussea massaiensis (Taub.) Harms subsp. rhodesica Brenan: occurs in Itigi thicket Cassia abbreviata Oliv. subsp. abbreviata: medicinal plant Copaifera baumiana Harms: shrub, restricted to Kalahari sands Cordyla africana Lour.: riparian tree of the Luangwa and Zambezi rivers Dalbergia melanoxylon Guill. & Perr.: used for carvings Entada bacillaris F. White var. plurijuga Brenan: shrub, recorded in Mbala Guibourtia arnoldiana (De Wild. & Th.Dur.) J.Leon.: restricted to Mbala district Guibourtia coleosperma (Benth.) J.Leon.: potential timber species, restricted to Kalahari sands Guibourtia conjugata (Benth.) J.Leon.: endemic to the Middle Zambezi Kotschya imbricata Verdc.: occurs in Kabompo Gorge Kotschya ruberifera Verdc.: endemic to Mwinilunga District Monopetalanthus richardsiae J.Leon.: restricted to northern region Monopetalanthus trapnellii J.Leon.: evergreen tree, restricted to northern region Pterocarpus angolensis DC.: a much exploited timber tree Rhynchosia insignis (O.Hoffm.) R.E.Fries: roots used as beverage Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr.: potential use in agroforestry Tamarindus indica L.: evergreen fruit tree Tessmannia burttii Harms: rare tree, recorded in Mbala and Mwinilunga FLACOURTIACEAE Flacourtia indica (Burm.f.) Merr.: shrub, fruit edible LOGANIACEAE Strychnos cocculoides Bak.: fruits edible MALVACEAE Azanza garckeana (H. Hoffm.) Exell & Hillcoat: fruit tree Hibiscus rhodanthus Gurk: suffrutex MELASTOMATACEAE Dissotis debilis (Sond.)Triana var. pedicillata A & R.Fern.: restricted to Mpulungu Dissotis glandulosa A & R.Fern: recorded in Mwinilunga only SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Living Collections MELIACEAE Entandrophragma delevoyi De.Wild.: used as source of timber, threatened Khaya anthotheca (Welw.) C. DC. Trichilia emetica Vahl: potential street and shade tree MORACEAE Antiaris toxicaria Lesch. subsp. welwitschii (Engl.) C.C.Berg: occurs at Lumangwe Falls Milicia excelsa (Welw.) Berg: rare tree restricted to Nchelenge Morus mesozygia Stapf ex A.Chev.: rare tree, resctricted to high rainfall areas. MYROTHAMNACEAE Myrothamnus flabellifolius (Sond.) Welw.: shrub of medicinal value MYRTACEAE Syzygium cordatum Hochst. ex Krauss: evergreen tree, fruits edible Syzygium guineense (Willd.) DC.: evergreen tree, fruits edible Syzygium owariense (Beauv.) Benth.: restricted to high rainfall areas OCHNACEAE Ochna afzelii R.Br. ex Oliv.: tree, in high rainfall areas Ochna angolensis I.M.Johnston: suffrutex, recorded in Mwinilunga and Solwezi Ochna cinnabarina Gilg: shrub, occurs on Kalahari sands Ochna confusa Burtt Davy & Greenway: suffrutex Ochna pulchra Hook.: tree, in high rainfall areas OLACACEAE Ximenia americana L.: shrub, edible fruit Ximenia caffra Sond.: shrub, edible fruit POLYGALACEAE Securidaca longipedunculata Fresen: shrub/tree, potential ornamental species PROTEACEAE Faurea intermedia Engl. & Gilg: tree Faurea saligna Harv.: tree Faurea speciosa Welw.: tree, ornamental Protea gaguedi J.F.Gmel.: shrub/tree, ornamental Protea madiensis Oliv.: shrub/tree, ornamental Protea petiolaris Welw. ex Engl.: shrub/tree, ornamental Protea trichophylla Engl. & Gilg: tree, ornamental RHAMNACEAE Berchemia discolor (Klotzsch) Hemsl.: riverine fruit tree of Luangwa and Zambezi rivers Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.: fruits edible Ziziphus mucronata Wild.: tree, medicinal RHIZOPHORACEAE Anisophyllea boehmii Engl.: tree, with edible fruits Anisophyllea pomifera Engl. & V.Brehm: shrub/tree, with edible fruits RUBIACEAE Rothmannia englerana (K.Schum.) Keay: shrub/tree Rytigynia orbicularis (K.Schum.) Robyns: shrub, restricted to Kalahari sands Vangueria infausta Burch.: small tree, fruits edible Vangueria lasioclados K.Schum.: shrub, edible fruits Vangueriopsis lanciflora (Hiern) Robyns: shrub/tree, edible fruits STERCULIACEAE Triplochiton zambesiacus Milne-Redh.: leaves used as vegetables in Zambezi Valley VERBENACEAE Vitex doniana Sweet: tree with edible fruits Developing a Teaching Botanic Garden at the University of Zambia T he University of Zambia was established in 1963, following recommendations made by the Lockwood Commission to the government of the then Northern Rhodesia. The university became operational two years later and Dr. Kenneth D Kaunda was inaugurated as the first Chancellor by the late Dr. Julius Nyerere on the 12th July 1966. Soil Types and Vegetation Three soil types were identified on the campus: SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 • Hydromorphic soils occurring on limestone terrain, in the western and southern sectors of the campus. It includes the dambo lines along which the Goma Lakes (dams) are sited. • Red loamy soils, which develop from the interface of limestone and quartzite lithology, cover the greater part of the campus. • Loamy soils underlain by a layer of stones, about 30 cm deep, occur in the northern sector of the campus, extending northwards from the School of Education. These soils are termed lithosols. Before the construction of the University Campus in 1967, the site was covered by indigenous vegetation representing vegetation types such as grassland (dambo), woodland and savannah. The basic hydromorphic soils were covered by edaphic grassland, locally known as dambo. This variant of dambo is usually dominated by Hyparrhenia rufa, whereas wetter areas are covered with Imperata cylindrica. A patch of degenerated miombo occurred on the acidic lithosols in which the characteristic species are Brachystegia boehmii, B. spiciformis and Julbernardia 91 Living Collections globiflora, with patches of Hyperthelia dissoluta, a course grass, occurring in the open spaces. The loamy soils in the transitional zone, currently fringing the Goma Lakes, were originally covered by savannah in which trees such as Ficus sycomorus and Acacia spp. were prominent. section. The cycad Encephalartos schmitzii which in nature occurs in rocky habitats within the miombo woodland, has been cultivated under Brachystegia boehmii, located on the lithosols. The Garden Plan The aquatic habitat, in the form of the Goma Lakes, has a number of hydrophytes. These include Cyperus papyrus, Ludwigia stolonifera and the invasive Pontederia cordata and Typha domingensis. Efforts are made to eliminate Typha from the dams and keep Pontederia under control. Neptunia oralacea, a seismonastic plant collected from the Luangwa Valley, has been cultivated on the banks of the Goma lakes. Occasionally, in the dry season, these lakes tend to be invaded by a floating fern, Azolla pinnata. The introduction of Nymphaea lotus is proving difficult as the fish feed on the foliage. The Teaching Botanic Garden, located at the main entrance to the campus, covers an area of about 12 hectares of land. The garden was established initially to preserve species that occurred on the site naturally. A number of these plants are indicator species associated with the specific soil types occurring on the campus. The garden has been designed to serve as a field laboratory for students of botany, ecology, and biogeography, and has been divided into the following sections: Wetland Flora and Aquatic Plants Lower Valley Plants The Role Players These are plants collected from the Luangwa and Zambezi Valleys, and comprise the following species Colophospermum mopane, Guibourtia conjugata, Friesodielsia obovata, Lonchocarpus capassa, Tamarindus indica, Triplochiton zambesiacus and Ziziphus mauritiana. Miombo Many of the Miombo species are being encouraged to regenerate in their natural habitat, while species such as Afzelia quanzensis, Brachystegia tamarindoides, Isoberlinia angolensis, Securidaca longipedunculata and Uapaca kirkiana have been introduced. The epiphytic orchid Ansellia africana has been mounted in a mature tree of Brachystegia boehmii. Succulent Plants The management of the Teaching Botanic Garden requires the input of all stakeholders. Mr Alex Tembo, Horticultural Officer based at the University Nursery, has been responsible for the development of the garden. Plants collected from the wild are initially maintained at the University (UNZA) Nursery located in Chilanga. The plants are then passed on to Mr Ernest Gondwe, the Horticultural Officer based at the campus, for cultivation in the garden. Two leading botanists, P.S.M. Phiri and D. Chuba, encourage the horticulturists to undertake regular field trips with the aim of recording the ecological conditions under which the collected plants thrive. This makes cultivation of these species both in the nursery and eventually in the garden easier. Contact with the Outside World Mr Gondwe and Mr Tembo were interns at the Pretoria and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens respectively. The internships were aimed at ensuring sustainability in the management of the UNZA Botanic Garden and the back-up nursery facilities, situated in Chilanga, when the SABONET project comes to an end. Future Developments As water is a scare resource in the garden, this has been taken into account in prioritising the nature of plant groups to be cultivated. Water-wise plants have been given preference. The perennial plants include trees, shrubs, and geophytes. Future development plans for the garden will probably include the sinking of at least two boreholes and a system of pipes to maintain the herbaceous flora of ornamental, cultural, and medicinal value. Rare and threatened plants, requiring special environmental conditions to thrive, may necessitate the construction of greenhouses that simulate the habitat conditions as they exist in nature. In order to improve the leisure amenities in the garden, the angling lakes located in the eastern part of the garden have to be rehabilitated, since the ponds are shallow and have been invaded by the reed Typha. If these ponds are rehabilitated, it will further improve the landscape of the Teaching Botanic Garden, as a place of recreation for students and residents of Lusaka. —Patrick S.M. Phiri Department of Biological Sciences School of Natural Sciences University of Zambia P.O. Box 32379 Lusaka, Zambia A rockery for succulent species has been created and it is envisaged that species of Aloe, Euphorbia, Sansevieria and Stapelia, as well as other xerophytes will be cultivated here. Should funds become available, a number of endemic species of Euphorbia will be introduced to this sector of the garden. A concerted effort is being made to eliminate invasive species of Agave. Gymnosperms A diversity of gymnosperms will be cultivated on loamy soils east of the Goma lakes. Young plants of Ginkgo biloba obtained from Harare, Pinus species collected from the Zambian Rest house on the Nyika, Podocarpus latifolius (syn. P. milanjianus) collected from Mpika District and Araucaria sp. have been included in the gymnosperm 92 Brachystegia boehmii towering over the rockery section of the Botanic Garden. (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Living Collections Appendix: List of Plants Maintained in the Teaching Botanic Garden AQUATIC PLANTS ALISMATACEAE Limnophyton angolense: Rooted herb. Origin: Luangwa-Feira District CYPERACEAE Cyperus papyru: Rooted perennial. Origin: Kafue River FABACEAE Neptunia aralacea: Rooted herb with seismonastic leaves. Origin: Luangwa Valley NYMPHAEACEAE Nymphaea lotus: Rooted herb with floating leaves. Origin: Feira District ONAGRACEAE Ludwigia stolonifera: Prostrate herb on dam margin. Natural occurrence POACEAE Paspalum vaginatum: Mat forming perennial grass. Origin: Luangwa Valley PONTEDERIACEAE Pontederia cordata: Cultivated emergent perennial herb. Origin: N. & S. America Aloes and agaves in the rockery. (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) A section of the Teaching Botanic Garden near the Goma Lakes. (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 TYPHACEAE Typha domingensis: Emergent invasive weed in shallow water TERRESTRIAL PLANTS PTERIDOPHYTES DENNSTAEDTIACEAE Pteridium aquilinum subsp. aquilinum: Cultivated. Origin: Chunyunyu Hot Spring EQUISETACEAE Equisetum ramosissimum: Natural occurrence near stream THELYPTERIDACEAE Thelypteris confluens: Cultivated fern. Origin: Chunyunyu Hot Spring, Chongwe GYMNOSPERMS ARAUCARIACEAE Araucaria sp.: Cultivated ornamental tree. Origin: Australia, South America Erythrina abyssinica allowed to regenerate in the miombo section of the botanic garden. (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) A young Adansonia digitata plant with simple juvenile leaves. (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) 93 Living Collections GINKGACEAE Ginkgo biloba: Cultivated tree obtained from Zimbabwe. Origin: Southern China PINACEAE Cupressus sp.: Cultivated Pinus insularis: Cultivated tree. Origin: Burma, Philippines Pinus sp. Cultivated. Origin: Introduced from Nyika Plantation PODOCARPACEAE Podocarpus milanjianus: Cultivated. Origin: Bwingimfumu Forest Reserve, Mpika ZAMIACEAE Encephalartos schmitzii: Cultivated indigenous cycad. Origin: from Mpika District ANGIOSPERMS—MONOCOTS ALOACEAE Aloe arborescens: Cultivated succulent plant. Origin: South Africa Aloe barberae: Cultivated tree fern. Origin: Mozambique Aloe chabaudii: Cultivated. Origin: 130 km east of Lusaka along GERd. Aloe christianii: Cultivated. Origin: Kasisi Area, Lusaka Aloe greenii: Cultivated. Origin: Kasisi Area, Lusaka APOCYNACEAE Nerium oleander: Cultivated ornamental shrub. Origin: Mediterranean region ARACACEAE Arecastrum romanzoffianum: Cultivated palm along main road. Origin: Brazil Phoenix reclinata: Cultivated indigenous palm Sabal sp.: Cultivated palm along main road. Origin: West Indies DRACAENACEAE Dracaena camerooniana: Cultivated. Origin: Chishimba Falls, Kasama District Dracaena steudneri: Cultivated from UNZA Nursery Sansevieria sp.: Cultivated. Origin: Lusaka West MUSACEAE Musa sp.: Cultivated. Origin: Asia ORCHIDACEAE Ansellia africana: Cultivated epiphytic orchid. Origin: Chikowa, Luangwa Valley Worker at the UNZA Nursery in Chilanga. (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) Upaca kirkiana plants in a section of the agroforestry nursery at Musekkera Research Station in Chipata. (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) Trichilia emetica seedlings in the SABONET section of the UNZA Nursery (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) SABONET workers clearing Lantana camara in the eastern sector of the Botanic Garden. (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) Yucca plants growing on the cleared site. (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) 94 Workers planting strelitzias in the western section of the Botanic Garden. (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 ANGIOSPERMS—DICOTS ANACARDIACEAE Rhus longipes: Natural occurrence in miombo sector ANNONACEAE Annona senegalensis: Natural occurrence at fringe of miombo Friesodielsia obovata: Cultivated shrub. Origin: Livingstone APIACEAE Centella asiatica: Natural occurrence along fringe of moist ground Steganotaenia araliacea: Natural regeneration in miombo sector APOCYNACEAE Nerium oleander: Cultivated ornamental. Origin: Mediterranean Region ARALIACEAE Schefflera sp.: Cultivated ornamental ARAUCARIACEAE Araucaria sp.: Cultivated exotic ornamental. ASCLEPIADACEAE Calytropsis procera: Cultivated shrub. Origin: Lusitu, Zambezi Valley Stapelia gigantea: Cultivated succulent plant. Origin: Lusaka East ASTERACEAE Vernonia amygdalina: Shrub. Natural occurrence BIGNONIACEAE Bignonia capreolata: Cultivated ornamental. Origin: North America Tecoma stans: Cultivated ornamental. Origin: Tropical America BOMBACACEAE Adansonia digitata: Indigenous plant: cultivated from seed Ceiba pentandra: Cultivated. Origin: Tropical America CARICACEAE Carica papaya: Cultivated fruit tree. Origin: Tropical America Living Collections POACEAE Cortaderia selloana: Cultivated Pampas grass. Origin: South America Cynodon dactylon: Cultivated lawn grass Hyperthelia dissoluta: Natural occurrence in miombo sector Imperata cylindrica: Natural occurrence in wetland sectors Oxytenanthera abyssinica: Cultivated. Origin: SW of Kacholola, Nyimba District Phragmites mauritianus: Natural occurrence along stream STRELITZIACEAE Strelitzia spp.: Cultivated ornamentals. Origin: South Africa VELLOZIACEAE Xerophyta equisetoides: Cultivated. Origin: Mpika District ZINGIBERACEAE Aframomum sp.: Cultivated. Origin: Lwitikila Falls, Mpika District CASUARINACEAE Casuarina equisetifolia: Cultivated. Origin: Australia CELASTRACEAE Gymnosporia senegalensis: Shrub of natural occurrence in miombo sector COMBRETACEAE Combretum fragrans.: Natural regeneration in miombo sector Terminalia mollis: Natural occurrence at fringe of miombo EBENACEAE Diospyros senensis: Cultivated. Origin: Lusitu area, Zambezi Valley EUPHORBIACEAE Acalypha sp.: Cultivated ornamental plant Bridelia micrantha: Natural regeneration Euphorbia ingens: Cultivated. Origin: South of Kafue Bridge, Mazabuka Euphorbia matabelensis: Cultivated. Origin: Chadiza District, Eastern Province Euphorbia sp. (probably E. cooperi): Cultivated. Origin: Lusitu, Zambezi Valley Euphorbia sp.: Cultivated. Origin: Luangwa Valley Phyllanthus muelleranus: Indigenous shrub: natural occurrence Uapaca kirkiana: Cultivated. Origin: Lwitikira Falls, Mpika District FABACEAE Acacia polyacantha: Invasive plant in disturbed areas Afzelia quanzensis: Indigenous tree species: cultivated from seed Albizia amara: Natural occurrence in miombo sector Albizia antunesiana: Natural regeneration in degraded miombo sector Albizia versicolor: Natural regeneration in degraded miombo sector Bauhinia galpinii: Shrub obtained from Church Rd, Lusaka. Origin: South Africa Bauhinia petersiana: Natural regeneration in degraded miombo sector Bauhinia variegata: Cultivated ornamental Brachystegia boehmii: Natural occurrence in Miombo sector Brachystegia spiciformis: Natural regeneration in degraded miombo sector Brachystegia rotundifolia: Cultivated. Origin: Mamba Mine, Zambezi Valley Colophospermum mopane: Cultivated. Origin: Livingstone & Luangwa Valley Cordyla africana: Cultivated. Origin: Luangwa Valley Dichrostachys cinerea subsp. nyassana: Natural regeneration in miombo sector Erythrina abyssinica: Natural regeneration in degraded miombo sector Erythrina livingstoniana: Cultivated tree. Origin: Livingstone Erythrina lysistemon: Cultivated tree. Origin: obtained from Harare, Zimbabwe Guibourtia conjugata: Cultivated. Origin: Zambezi Valley Isoberlinia angolensis: Cultivated. Origin: 120 km E of Lusaka along GERd. Julbernardia globiflora: Natural occurrence in degraded miombo sector Lonchocarpus capassa: Cultivated tree. Origin: Livingstone Piliostigama thonningii: Natural establishment in degraded miombo sector Senna petersiana: Natural occurrence in miombo sector A bird’s eye view of ZAWA’s protected miombo woodland plot being considered for the establishment of an arboretum or nature reserve in Chipata Eastern Province, Zambia. (Photo: P.S.M. Phiri) SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 95 Living Collections Senna singueana: Natural occurrence in miombo sector Tamarindus indica: Cultivated. Origin: Luangwa and Zambezi Valleys FLACOURTIACEAE Flacourtia indica: Natural regeneration in miombo sector LOGANIACEAE Strychnos cocculoides: Natural regeneration in miombo sector MALVACEAE Azanza garckeana: Cultivated. Origin: Livingstone MELASTOMATACEAE Tibouchina granulosa: Cultivated ornamental from Rose Garden MELIACEAE Azadirachta indica: Invasive plant. Origin: Asia Toona ciliata: Invasive plant. Origin: Asia Trichilia emetica: Cultivated ornamental. Origin: Luangwa & Zambezi Valleys MORACEAE Ficus benjamina: Cultivated ornamental. Origin: India Ficus sycomorus: Natural occurrence on termite mounds MYROTHAMNACEAE Myrothamnus flabellifolius: Cultivated. Origin: Chadiza District, Eastern Province MYRTACEAE Callistemon sp.: Cultivated. Origin: Australia Eucalyptus spp. Cultivated. Origin: Australia Syzygium sp.: Cultivated exotic plant NYCTAGINACEAE Bougainvillea sp.: Cultivated. Origin: South America OCHNACEAE Ochna schweinfurthii: Natural occurrence in miombo sector POLYGALACEAE Securidaca longipedunculata: Cultivated shrub. Origin: 100 km E of Lusaka POLYGONACEAE Polygonum salicifolium: Natural occurrence along dam edges. RHAMNACEAE Ziziphus mauritiana: Introduced fruit tree. Origin: Luangwa District RUBIACEAE Coffea arabica: Cultivated crop plant. Origin: Ethiopia RUTACEAE Zanthoxylum chalybeum: Cultivated. Origin: Chinyunyu Area, E of Lusaka SALICACEAE Salix babylonica: Cultivated. Origin: China SOLANACEAE Brugmansia suaveolens: Cultivated ornamental. Origin: Brazil Solanum hispidum: Invasive plant, common in campus area STERCULIACEAE Sterculia quinqueloba: Cultivated. Origin: Siavonga District Triplochiton zambesiacus: Cultivated. Origin: Zambezi Valley VERBENACEAE Lantana camara: Invasive weed. Origin: Tropical South America VITACEAE Cissus cornifolia: Cultivated shrub. Origin: Luangwa Valley Cissus quadrangularis: Cultivated liane. Origin: Lusitu area, Zambezi Valley Threatened Plants Programme Gerbera aurantiaca: Flagship Species I n 2001 the Natal National Botanical Garden in Pietermaritzburg submitted a proposal for a Threatened Plant Programme to SABONET and subsequently received a grant of US$ 3,000.00 in March 2002—an enormous source of encouragement! The Hilton Daisy (Gerbera aurantiaca: Asteraceae) was selected as the flagship species of this programme for many reasons, including: • Its status as a threatened species (ScottShaw 1999) • Being known as an ‘indicator’ species of the Moist Mistbelt Grassland, a rapidly disappearing habitat type • Its ‘charisma’, because of its spectacular red flowers and its emotive association with the people of Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas • Its considerable horticultural potential The main aims of the project are: • The establishment in the Garden of rep- 96 resentative ex situ populations (from wild localities) • The selection and propagation of some of the most attractive varieties for horticulture • A study of the population biology of the species in its natural habitat to aid with conservation strategies (This part of the project is being carried out in collaboration with the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, where the author is currently registered for a postgraduate degree) The Hilton Daisy, with its striking dark-centred red flowerheads, is a long-lived endemic of the moist mistbelt grassland in and around Pietermaritzburg. Colonies of the daisies are found on rocky doleritic hill slopes at altitudes of between 950 m and 1,500 m. The daisies grow vegetatively to produce clones. These often measure over a meter in diameter, and may be hundreds of years old. The plants have thick thong- like roots that allow them to withstand the dry winter months and frequent veld fires. In early spring rosettes of erect, dark green leathery leaves emerge, followed by the flowers. Flower colours range from deep red, orange and pink to yellow and cream. While some of this colour variation may result from hybridisation with the closely related species G. ambigua, which has white or pinkish petals, the orange and yellow colours are probably variations within the species. The daisies also show great variation in petal morphology. Sadly, this once common flower has become endangered—a status that is attributed to habitat destruction and fragmentation, caused by agriculture and urban sprawl. Less than 3.5% of the mistbelt grassland remains in near-pristine condition and in large enough fragments to consider conserving. G. aurantiaca is now only SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 known to occur in about ten widely scattered localities. Habitat fragmentation has many adverse effects on the survival of plant communities, including inbreeding (which results in reduction of genetic variation) and the disappearance of pollinators. The populations are also affected by gardeners removing clumps of plants for their gardens, where the daisies seldom survive as they are notoriously difficult to grow in cultivation. As yet, little is known of the population biology of the Hilton Daisy. The most important pollinators appear to be brown hairy monkey beetles, but seed set is low and there is a high percentage of seed predation. Some populations have virtually no small plants, indicating that seedling recruitment is low. This situation is probably aggravated by the fact that many of the remaining populations are situated in small pockets of grassland between timber plantations or sugarcane, which are burnt annually as firebreaks. Even if the seeds, shed in late November, germinate immediately, the six to seven month old seedlings are not likely to have developed a sufficiently robust root system to survive the early winter fires. Ex situ Propagation The SABONET grant has allowed us to construct seven raised beds in the nursery that are specifically designed to house the threatened plant collection. We now have approximately 45 representative plants from 9 localities growing and flowering in the nursery. In addition, we have 110 small plants that were raised from seed donated in 2001 and collected in 2002. G. aurantiaca seeds do not have a dormancy period and germinate immediately after maturity under suitable conditions. At room temperature viability is lost after a few months, but stored at 4°C, seeds have exhibited high germination rates after 12 months. of such things as selective amplication and band scoring. Some preliminary work on G. aurantiaca DNA was done and we plan to continue with more extensive samples early next year. Germination trials indicate that the seed germination percentage is high (85%). There does appear to be considerable loss during the first year (up to 30%), which could be attributed to pathogenic infection or lack of seedling vigour. Additional propagative material will be collected from wild populations for the ex situ collection. We also plan to collect seed for the Kew Millennium Seed Bank Project. DNA Fingerprinting Genetic studies are crucial to ex situ conservation since collections need to be representative of the genetic range of the target species (Maunder 2002). The importance of assessing genetic variation on the basis of molecular techniques in botanic garden recovery plans, has been emphasised by Akeroyd & Wyse Jackson (1995). Many molecular techniques have been developed in the last few years to investigate genetic variation. While no single technique is universally ideal, the AFLP-PCR (amplified fragment length polymorphismpolymerase chain reaction) is a relatively cheap, easy, fast and reliable method to generate hundreds of informative genetic markers (Mueller & Wolfenbarger 1999). In order to learn this technique, the author applied to SABONET and was granted an internship to the Leslie Hill Molecular Systematics Unit at Kirstenbosch in May this year. The Unit uses the AFLP technique for molecular systematic studies. This was a valuable introduction to a precise and complicated technique, and the staff of the Unit deserve much credit for teaching a hamhanded horticulturist about the intricacies The brown hairy monkey beetle, a frequent visitor to Gerbera aurantiaca. (Photo : I. Johnson, NBI) SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Future Plans Leaf material will be sampled from all populations for genetic analyses (AFLPs) to determine the degree of genetic variation within and between populations (in collaboration with the Leslie Hill Molecular Systematics Unit at Kirstenbosch). We have initiated a feasibility study into the micro-propagation of the Hilton Daisy with the Durban Corporation, and hope to have some initial results within the next few months. Once successful techniques have been established, desirable forms will be propagated for distribution to home gardeners. This season we are carrying out investigations into the breeding systems of the Hilton Daisy, including pollinator studies, crossing experiments to establish whether the species is self-incompatible, and measurement of allozyme variation within the different populations to determine the degree of homozygosity or inbreeding (in collaboration with UNP) We want to see what the effect of fire on the survival of seedlings is. Other Species We have also established collections of other threatened mistbelt grassland species, such (continued on page 100) Young Gerbera aurantiaca plants in the nursery. (Photo : I. Johnson, NBI) 97 Missing any SABONET publications? SABONET News Vol. 1 No. 2 Vol. 2 No. 2 Vol. 3 No. 1 Vol. 4 No. 3 Vol. 5 No. 1 Vol. 6 No. 1 December 1996 August 1997 April 1998 December 1999 April 2000 March 2001 Vol. 6 No. 2 Vol. 7 No. 1 Vol. 7 No. 2 Vol. 7 No. 3 Vol. 8 No. 1 Vol. 8 No. 2 July 2001 March 2002 September 2002 December 2002 March 2003 December 2003 Order your FREE copy now! Although the Southern African Plant Red Data Lists book is out of print, there are still copies of the Southern African Plant Red Data Lists Database on CD available. To order, do one of the following: • • • Send an email message to [email protected], including the phrase “Red Data Lists Database Order” in the subject line, and your name and mailing address in the body of the message. Send a fax with the same information to (27) 12 804-5979. Write to Red Data List Orders, SABONET, National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X101, Pretoria 0001, South Africa, including the same information. DELIVERY DETAILS NAME _______________________________ ____________________________________ ADDRESS ____________________________ ____________________________________ SUBURB/TOWN _______________________ ____________________________________ POST CODE __________________________ COUNTRY ____________________________ ____________________________________ TEL., FAX, OR E-MAIL __________________ ____________________________________ 98 ORDER FORM Please send me copy/copies of the following back issues SABONET News ❑ VOL.1 NO.2 ❑ VOL.6 NO.2 ❑ VOL.2 NO.2 ❑ VOL.7 NO.1 ❑ VOL.3 NO.1 ❑ VOL.7 NO.2 ❑ VOL.4 NO.3 ❑ VOL.7 NO.3 ❑ VOL.5 NO.1 ❑ VOL.8 NO.1 ❑ VOL.6 NO.1 ❑ VOL.8 NO.2 SABONET Report Series ❑ REPORT NO.16 ❑ REPORT NO.1 ❑ REPORT NO.17 ❑ REPORT NO.3 ❑ REPORT NO.18 ❑ REPORT NO.4 ❑ REPORT NO.10 ❑ REPORT NO.19 ❑ REPORT NO.13 ❑ REPORT NO. 20 Mail your order form to SABONET ORDERS, National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X101, Pretoria 0001, South Africa, or fax to (27) 12 804-5979 or e-mail to [email protected] SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 ORDER YOUR BACK ISSUES NOW SABONET Report Series No. 1: No. 2: No. 3: No. 4: No. 5: No. 6: Southern African National Herbaria: Status Reports, 1996 Index herbariorum: southern African supplement PRECIS Specimen Database user guide SABONET Project Document Plant taxonomic and related projects in southern Africa Southern African herbarium needs assessment No. 7: No. 8: No. 9: No. 10: No. 11: No. 12: A checklist of Namibian plant species Index herbariorum: southern African supplement (2nd edition) Making your garden come alive! Environmental interpretation in botanical gardens Plant taxonomic expertise— an inventory for southern Africa Southern African botanical gardens needs assessment Action Plan for southern African botanical gardens No. 13: No. 14: No. 15: No. 16: No. 17: No. 18: Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta Southern African Plant Red Data Lists Addressing the Needs of the Users of Botanical Information A checklist of Zimbabwean Grasses A checklist of Lesotho Grasses Trees of Botswana: Names and Distribution PLEASE NOTE: PDF files of all SABONET Reports will soon be available on the revamped SABONET website No. 19: No. 20: Swaziland ferns and fern allies Checklist of grasses in Namibia SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 99 (continued from page 97) as Dierama luteoalbidum and Watsonia canaliculata, successfully raised from wild-collected seed. We hope to add more species this season. I hope that the results of this project will provide us with a better understanding of the population dynamics and growth requirements of the Hilton Daisy, which, in turn, will enable more informed conservation guidelines to be drawn up by the relevant conservation agencies. We have been very fortunate and want to thank SABONET for the grant of US$ 3,000.00 to take on this project. The grant has enabled the construction of nursery facilities, the financing of field trips, the outsourcing of micropropagation and the promotion of the project. In addition, BOTSOC generously awarded a conservation grant of R 20,000.00 to study some aspects of the wild populations, including measurements of genetic variation. The University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, has provided research facilities and much guidance with taxonomic and population biology investigations. In particular, I am indebted to Prof. Trevor Edwards, Curator of the Bews Herbarium. AKEROYD, J.R. & WYSE JACKSON, P.S. 1995. A handbook for botanic gardens on the reintroduction of plants to the wild, BGCI. RTZ Publ. MAUNDER, M. 2002. IUCN Policy on the management of ex-situ populations for conservation. SABONET News 8(1):18-19. MUELLER, U.G. & WOLFENBERGER, L.L. 1999. TREE 14 (10). SCOTT-SHAW, C.R. 1999. Rare and threatened plants of KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring regions. KZN Conservation Services, PMB. —Isabel Johnson Natal National Botanical Garden P.O.Box 21667 Mayors Walk 3208 Tel.: 033-3443585 Fax: 033-3441284 [email protected] book review Invasive Aquatic Plants Henderson, L. & Cilliers, C.J. 2002 Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook No. 16 ARC–Plant Protection Research Institute Pretoria [i–iv + 1–88] I t is a pleasure to come across a book with such a wealth of useful information—well presented and illustrated, in a convenient size, and at a very reasonable price. The authors cover a range of plants from floating ferns to vascular plants, both alien and native southern African species that have become dangerously invasive or have the potential of becoming so in South Africa’s aquatic environment. Simple symbols make this book easy to use. The well-produced line drawings and ample coloured photographs of the plants make identification easy and the book attractive. It lists bio-control agents and their effect on selected species, as well as registered herbicides and physical control methods. Line drawings of the leaves of the alien Hydrocharitaceae and such largeleaved native members, such as Lagarosiphon major would have been a useful addition, as these are often difficult to identify, especially when only the leaves are present. Since they can all be controlled in a similar manner, such criticism is, however, a minor. nor oversights and the book will be valuable to farmers, aquatic scientists, and a wide range of environmentalists. Ms Lesley Henderson can be contacted at: Agricultural Research Council Plant Protection Research Institute Weeds Division National Botanical Institute Private Bag X101 Pretoria 0001 South Africa Tel.: 27 12 8043200 Fax: 27 12 8043211 [email protected] —C.J. Ward Botanical Scientist/Consulting Ecologist Durban [email protected] More emphasis could have been placed on the potential danger of Ipomoea carnea subsp. fistulosa in aquatic environments. One has merely to recall the scarcity of Chromolaena odorata immediately postWorld War II, when its control would have been far less costly than the eradication campaigns necessary today. The value of taking timely steps to control dangerous aliens should not be underestimated. Nevertheless, the amount of information given in this book far outweighs these mi- 100 SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 book review Swaziland ferns and fern allies J.P. Roux Number 19 in the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report Series became available on 1 October 2003 (ISBN 1-919795-97-9). This 241 page soft cover publication is available free of charge from the SABONET Regional Office. T he work starts with an Introduction section giving a short history of plant collecting and botanical research in Swaziland, illustrating the background for the project that preceded this publication. This section also provides a short description of the layout of the book and the structure of the data contained in the descriptions and distribution maps found in the Taxonomy section. The Topography section provides a short description of Swaziland’s topography, indicating the differences between the highveld, middleveld and lowveld regions. It also contains a map illustrating the topography of the country. The rock formations found in Swaziland and the country’s geological history are described in the Geology section. A table shows the stratigraphy of the major volcano-sedimentary and igneous rock formations and a map illustrates the major geological formations in the country. The Climate section describes the differences in mean annual minimum and maximum temperatures and mean annual rainfall between the country’s three topographic regions. In the Vegetation section the four Acocks vegetation types and their subdivisions (totalling seven) that occur in Swaziland, are briefly described, giving some of their features, distribution and listing a number of (non-fern) species commonly occurring in them. A map indicating the distribution of these vegetation types also accompanies this section. The Conservation section depicts the state of conservation in Swaziland. A table indicates the proclaimed nature reserves, showing their date of proclamation, size and the vegetation types conserved by these areas. Threats to conservation and biodiversity are also briefly touched. A total of 112 taxa are treated and illustrated in the 49 line drawings of the Taxonomy sec- SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 tion. This section is started by a key to the families of pteridophytes occurring in the country. Thereafter the families and their genera are treated in a systematic/phylogenetic sequence following Roux (2001). Each family treatment is started by a short family description, followed by a key to the genera of the family. Each genus treatment is started by the publication reference and type of the genus name, an indication of the derivation/meaning of the name, a genus description, a short indication of the general size and distribution of the genus, and a key to the species. Each species/ infraspecific taxon treatment comprises a list of publication references for the name, its type specimen, a key to the infraspecific taxa (where present), a list of synonyms, an indication of the derivation/meaning of the name, a species/infraspecific description, vernacular names and short pieces on the ecology, distribution and uses (where known) of the species/infraspecific taxon. Each taxon is also accompanied by a distribution map, which was compiled using a two-system approach. This two-system approach was necessary since GPS readings are generally not available for older collections and since the exact locality can thus not be plotted, the quarter-degree square in which the plant was collected is outlined (not shaded as indicated in the Introduction section). Where GPS readings were available, the collecting localities are indicated by a dot. This is a good way in which to get the best of both worlds and to use all the distribution data that are available for each taxon. The Abbreviations and Glossary section gives a useful explanation of the commonly used abbreviations and terms in the book. The publication is ended with a short References section and a comprehensive Index to all the taxa and their synonyms that are treated in the work. The Flora of Swaziland (Compton 1976) has long been the standard work for the flora of Swaziland, but for some reason the pteridophytes were omitted from this monumental work. The current publication will fill a big void in the enjoyment and understanding of the pteridophyte flora of this country and is a must on the bookshelves of any fernatic planning to venture into Swaziland. COMPTON, R.H. 1976. The Flora of Swaziland. Journal of South African Botany, Suppl. 11. ROUX, J.P. 2001. Conspectus of southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No 13. SABONET, Pretoria —Ronell Klopper Reprinted from Pteridoforum 67: 3–5 with kind permission from the Fern Society of Southern Africa. 101 Putting taxonomy on the web Numerous current efforts to put taxonomy on the Web demonstrate the feasibility of our computer technology era, and include the following sites: www.ipni.org The International Plant Name Index www.tolweb.org/tree The Tree of Life Project, which provides phylogenies www.itis.usda.gov The Integrated Taxonomic Information System www.gbif.org The Global Biodiversity Information Facility http://speciesanalyst.net A search engine to access multiple databases of specimen information from collections located throughout North America and www.all-species.org The All Species Foundation, which intends to make an inventory of all species on earth within the next 25 years. (It is perhaps worth noting parenthetically that this task may seem less daunting now than it did just a few months ago, because it appears that the number of species is actually manageable, perhaps closer to 10 million than the 100 million that some have speculated.) Biodiversity Hotspots www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/ Hotspots Biodiversity hotspots are regions containing an unusually rich or unique assemblage of species, which by their very nature deserve preservation. Sites from each continent are featured, from islands to mountaintops and river valleys. The 25 selected biodiversity hotspots contain 44% of plant species and 35% of terrestrial vertebrate species, but occupy only 1.4 % of the planet’s land area. This site includes information about biodiversity hotspots in general, as well as pages showing each hotspot individually. Site constructed by 102 Conservation International, sponsored by Intel. phanerogams; physiology, and the referring literature. Fact Sheets for 680 Trees Global Forest Science— Research Projects http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/ This gateway features 680 tree fact sheets, each presented as three-page pamphlets in portable document format (PDF), requiring the Acrobat Reader (available free from Adobe). Species are listed by family, common name, and scientific name. Each guide provides detailed information on the species’ growth form, characteristics, U.S. distribution, use & management, pests & diseases and more. Although produced in the early 1990s, the fact sheets remain a useful resource. Picture Profile of the Northern Namib www.slowcoach.org/sct/namibia/galleries/ collections/westofbrandberg0101.html The Namibian Desert is an area of fascination, as well as the native habitat of Welwitschia mirabilis, one of the most remarkable plants known to man. It is endemic. Welwitschia mirabilis is in a monotypic family of the Gnetales that has many highly advanced characters for a gymnosperm, forming a saddle-shaped trunk with vessels and sieve tubes, unisexual strobili derived from bisexual ones, a form of “double fertilization” in which two embryos are formed, and a remarkably reduced vegetative organization. In its lifetime, it forms only four leaves; two of them cotyledons and the two mature leaves growing for the remainder of its often quite lengthy lifetime. Botany: The History of a Science www.i-a-s.de/IAS/botanik/e01/01.htm “Botany: The History of a Science” provides detailed and excellent chapters covering botany from before Theophrastes (excellent summary of early Greek work) to the present. Chapters include: first scientific description; botany under Roman rule; decline of botany—the Dark Age; renaissance; botany in the 17th and 18th century: the basis of systematics; microscopy: the achievements of the 19th century and their 17 th-century roots; characterisation of cryptogams: phylogenetical relations between cryptogams & www.globalforestscience.org/research/ projects.html The Global Forest Society is a researchoriented consortium of research scientists affiliated with numerous universities that funds a wide diversity of research projects on forests. Topics include subalpine ecosystems, freshwater ecosystems, species at risk, inner city flora & fauna, redwood treetop ecology, biomedical & pharmaceuticals, environmental monitoring, unique ecosystems & habitats, forest entomology & pathology, and first peoples’ non-timber forest products. This extensive web site reports on progress on these studies, as well as providing children’s materials, general information on forest ecology, and various resources. PlantZAfrica.com www.plantzafrica.com/ This site features information about plants native to southern Africa (SA). The site includes: Plants of SA, Vegetation of SA, Using SA Plants, From the Archives, Miscellaneous Info and a site search. The plants site contains images, plant information and how to grow the plant. Since this is part of the Gondwana flora, visitors from Europe, Asia, and North America will find many plants to be unfamiliar. The site also provides thumbnail images of plants of the week from Kirstenbosch NBG and Witwatersrand NBG. This site is sponsored by the National Botanical Institute of South Africa. Pine (Gymnosperm) Life Cycle http://fybio.bio.usyd.edu.au/vle/L1/ ResourceCentre/GraphicFiles/ FS_LCPine.html The typical gymnosperm life cycle on the sexual reproductive cycle of pines, Phylum Coniferophyta, is well illustrated on this site. Developmental phases and organs are hyperlinked with well chosen illustrations, brief narratives and (continued on page 107) SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 103 104 SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 105 106 SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 (continued from page 102) appropriate glossary items. Hyperlinked terms include sporophyte, female cone (meiosis, megaspores, female gametophyte), male cone (meiosis, microspores, male gametophyte), pollination, sperm, egg, fertilisation, zygote, embryo, endosperm and young sporophyte. The quality is high, reasonably hyperlinked, and well designed. Predicting Invasions of Non-indigenous Plants and Pests www.nap.edu/books/0309082641/html/ This web site contains the free book: Predicting Invasions of Non-indigenous Plants and Plant Pests, provided by the National Academies Press. Compiled by the United States Board on Life Sciences and the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, this 194-page book explores the difficulties in predicting the immigration and impact of exotic species. Researchers active in this field may find this free resource of use. Seed Dormancy and/or Germination in Higher Plants http://library.usask.ca/dbs/seed.html Although online databases abound, this one on seed dormancy and germination is unusually authoritative, including entries (12,000 items!) from 1890 to the present. The site generates bibliographic data, much of which may be copied, or selected and e-mailed. The interface is reasonably intuitive, complementing other more general databases (for instance, AGRICOLA). Although primarily a research site, amateur gardeners and plant biologists alike may find interesting and useful data here. SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Computational Aquatic Ecosystem Dynamics Model www.cwr.uwa.edu.au/services/models/ CAEDYM/documentation/ scienceGuide/caedym_science/ CAEDYM is a research site consisting of a suite of models for predicting the behaviour of aquatic ecosystems under a variety of different conditions. The entire work contains 16 topics from phytoplankton to sea grasses (& macrophytes), macroalgae, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, nutrients, suspended solids, pH and various specific macronutrients (like iron, manganese and aluminium). There are also extensive references. The Electronic Plant Information Centre www.rbgkew.org.uk/epic/ The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew presents the Electronic Plant Information Centre (ePIC), an online resource designed to serve as a single gateway to all digitised plant information generated by Kew. ePIC brings together Kew’s major specimen, bibliographic and taxonomic databases in an easy-to-search interface. Simply enter a scientific plant name into the search engine, and ePIC will retrieve all available information on record, as well as links to related information resources from external organizations. Search results may be downloaded as an email message. More information, including digital images and electronic documents, will be added to ePIC as it becomes available. Malvaceae Pages www.meden.demon.co.uk/Malvaceae/ Malvaceae.html The Malvaceae pages include an introduction, an extensive image gallery, web links, family indices, a modern discussion of the current classification scheme for this group, as well as information on the biology, chromosome counts and economic uses of members of this family. The Malvaceae image gallery has 46 genera listed, featuring coverage of the “new” Malvaceae, including Bombacaceae, Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae and Byttneriaceae. The images are impressive jpegs of various plants parts, not just flowers. Although these are modest in size, the collection is reasonably encyclopedic. A detailed discussion of members of the family, genus-by-genus is planned. The Herbage CD-ROM, Third Edition www.web-of-life.org/herbage/ or www.ecocopia.com/herbage/ The Herbage CD-ROM by Tim Johnson (author of the CRC Ethnobotany Desk Reference) contains a database of over 28,000 concise monographs of medicinal plant species characteristics—and an inventory of claimed attributes and historical uses by cultures throughout the world—the result of more than a decade of independent research. Monographs are linked to millions of articles and images via the World Wide Web, providing an exhaustive tool for indepth global herb research. The Herbage CD-ROM, Third Edition was released on April 23rd, 2003. It is web-browserbased, compatible with any Windows or Macintosh computer. —Franci Siebert Department of Botany University of Pretoria 107 ThePaper Chase T he object of this column is to keep an eye open for literature which SABONET users may find useful. This will mostly be new publications, but may well include older information in answer to questions such as “what’s the best key to …”. It is neither possible nor desirable that the flow of such information should be one-way, from Pretoria outwards, so would readers please feel free to submit notes and useful information to the address at the end of this column. The citation of an item here does not imply any guarantee of its contents or even its existence; very often the compiler has not seen the documents referred to. Mary Gunn Library: Theses ❚ Aboobaker, H. 2002. Gene conservation in the threatened medicinal plant Mondia whitei (Hook.f.) Skeels (Asclepidiaceae) using DNA profiles and micropropagation. MSc thesis, University of Durban-Westville, Durban. ❚ Craven, P. 2002. Phytogeography of Namibia: A taxon approach to the spermatophyte flora. MSc thesis. University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch. ❚ Hahn, N. 2002. Endemic flora of the Soutpansberg. MSc thesis, University of Natal, Durban. ❚ Harry, N. 2003. Edaphic effects on vegetation at the Baryulgil Serpentinite Belt, northern New South Wales, Australia. B.Sc. Honours thesis, Southern Cross University, Lismore. ❚ Izidine, S.A. 2003. Licuati forest reserve, Mozambique: Flora, utilization and conservation. MSc thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria. ❚ Steenkamp, Y. 2002. Generic status of Catha and Lydenburgia (Celastraceae). MSc thesis. University of Pretoria, Pretoria. Mary Gunn Library: New Books ❚ Advances in Legume systematics Part 9. 2000. Herendeen, P.S. & Bruneau, A. (eds). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 363 pages. ❚ Africa environment outlook: past, present and future perspectives. 2002. Earthprint, UK. 422 pages. ❚ Atlas of the vascular plants of Texas. Volume 1. Turner, B.L., Nichols, H., Denner, G. & Doron, O. 2002. Brit Press. A Sida Botanical Miscellany publication by the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth. 648 pages. Maunder M., Clubbe, C., Hankama, C. & Groves, M. (eds). Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, UK. 628 pages. ❚ Status survey and conservation action plan. Cycads. Donaldson, J. (ed.). 2003. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. IUCN/ SSC Cycad specialist group. ix + 86 pages. ❚ The cactus family. 2001. Anderson, E.F. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 776 pages. ❚ The purpose and teaching of applied ethnobotany. 2003. Hamilton, A.C., Shengji, P., Kessy, J., Khan, A.A., Lagos-White, S. & Shinwari, Z.K. World Wide Fund for Nature, London. 72 pages. ❚ The root causes of biodiversity loss. 2000. Wood, A., StedmanEdwards, P. & Mang J. (eds). Earthscan, London. 399 pages. ❚ The vascular plants of the Dzanga-Shanga reserve, Central African Republic. 2002. Harris, D.J. Meisc. National Botanic Garden of Belgium. Scripta Botanica Belgica Vol. 23. 274 pages. ❚ Traditional medicine and pharmacopoeia. Contribution to ethnobotanical studies in Swaziland. 1998. Adeniji, K.O., Amusan, O.O.G., Dlamini, P.S., Enaw-Orock, E.G., Gamedze, S.T., Gbile, Z.O., Langa, A.D., Makhubu, L.P., Mahunnah, R.L.A., Mshana, R.N., Soforwara, A. & Vilane, M.J. Swaziland Organization of African Unity, Scientific, Technical and Research, Swaziland. ❚ Tropical African Flowering Plants. Ecology and Distribution. Volume 1. Annonaceae–Balanitaceae. 2003. LeBrun, J.-P. & Stork, A.L. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de le Ville de Geneve, Geneve, 797 pages. ❚ World Economic Plants. A standard reference. 1999. Wersama, J.H.& León, B. CRC Press, Boca Raton, London, NY, Washington DC. 149 pages. Mary Gunn Library: New Parts of Floras ❚ Cycads: with special reference to the southern African species. Grobbelaar, N. 2002. Published by the author, Pretoria. First english edition. Also available in Afrikaans. 331 pages. ❚ Endangered species threatened convention: the past, present and future of CITES, the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. 2000. Hutton, J. & Dickson, B. Earthscan, London. 202 pages. ❚ Flora Fanerogamica da ilha do cardosa. Vol 7. ❚ Flora Neotropica: 87. Melicoceae (Sapindaceae): Melicococcus and Talisia. ❚ Flora of Ecuador ❚ Flora of Malesiana bulletin vol 13 (2) ❚ Forest conservation genetics: principles and practices. 2000. Young, A., Boshier, D. & Boyle, T. (eds). CSIRO Publishing, Australia. 352 pages. ❚ Flora of tropical east Africa. Adiantaceae, Pteridaceae, Hydnoraceae, & Apocynaceae (Part 1) ❚ Plant conservation in the tropics: perspectives and practice. 2002. ❚ Flora Zambesiaca Vol. 10 part 4. 108 SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 ❚ Flora Zambesiaca Vol. 3 part 7. ❚ Moss Flora of Central America Part 2. Encalyptaceae– Orthotrichaceae Recently Published Papers ❚ Threatened Species Programme – an overview of succulent plants in South Africa. M. Keith. Pages 64–67. ❚ Untangling thicket and its components. J.Vlok. Pages 68–72. ❚ A new pachycaul Dioscorea species from Mpumalanga Province, South Africa and its conservation. J. Hurter. Pages 73–75. African Journal of Aquatic Science 28(1) 2003 ❚ The impact and control of alien aquatic vegetation in South African aquatic ecosystems. M.P. Hill. Pages 19–24. African Geographic September 2003 (Commemorative Issue – 5th IUCN World Park Congress.) ❚ Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Programme (SKEP). K. Freckleton. Pages 76–79. ❚ Patterns of floristic diversity in Mesembryanthemaceae. P. Chesselet, A.E. van Wyk, N. Griffin & G.F. Smith. Pages 80–85. ❚ Benefits beyond boundaries. A. Steiner. Pages 12–15. ❚ Minature Medusoid Euphorbias (Jacobson’s group 15): some observations and comments. G. Marx. Pages 86–92. ❚ From the past…into the future. South Africa’s National Parks. P. Borchert. Pages 28–45. ❚ Delosperma: taxonomic notes and proposed Red List status of certain species. P.M Burgoyne & J.E. Victor. Pages 98–103. Australian Journal of Botany 52 (4) 2003 ❚ Adaptations without barriers: succulent plants shaped by cliffs. Evan Jaarsveld & B. van Wyk. Pages 98–103. ❚ A handbook of protocols for standardised and easy measurement of plant functional traits worldwide. J.H.C. Cornelissen, S. Lavorel, E. Garnier, S. Diaz, N. Buchmann, D.E. Gurvich, R.B.Reich, H. ter Steege, H.D. Morgan, M.G.A. van der Heijden, J.G. Pausas & H. Poorter. Pages 335–380. ❚ Diversity and host tree preferences of vascular epiphytes and vines in a temperate rainforest in southern Chile. A.A. Muñoz, P. Chacún, F. Pérez, E.S. Barnet & J.J. Armesto. Pages 381–391. ❚ Ecology and conservation of remnant Melaleuca ericifolia stands in the Tamar Valley, Tasmania. L.A. Bowkett & J.B. Kirkpatrick. Pages 405–413. ❚ Micropropagation of two threatened Tasmanian species of Calocephalus (Asteraceae), with comments on phenotypic plasticity. R.J. Sands, N.R Brown & A. Koutoulis. Pages 415–420. ❚ Gene flow between introduced and native Eucalyptus species: exotic hybrids are establishing in the wild. R.C. Barbour, B.M. Potts & R.E. Vaillancourt. Page 429–439. ❚ Orchid species succession in rehabilitated bauxite mines in Western Australia. C.D Grant & J. Koch. Pages 453–457. ❚ Some basic guidelines for the cultivation of succulent plants. G. Marx. Pages 104–107. ❚ Perspectives on succulent gardens of the world. G.F. Smith & C.K. Willis. Pages 108–111. Alsterworthia International 3(3) November 2003 ❚ Infrageneric classifications of Haworthia (Aloaceae): perspectives from nectar sugar analysis. G.F. Smith, B.-E. van Wyk, E.M.A. Steyn & I. Breuer. Pages 9–12. ❚ A correction to the 2003 offering of the International Succulent Introductions. G.F. Smith & E.M.A. Steyn. Pages 13–14. ❚ Variations on Aloe variegata, the partridge-breast aloe. P.I. Forster. Pages 15–19. Biodiversity and Conservation 12(6) (2003) ❚ Conservation to the rescue of taxonomy. A.G. Valdecasas & A.I. Camacho. Pages 1113–1117. Biological Conservation 111(3) (2003) ❚ Leaf epidermal microcharacters of the Old World species of Lotus (Leguminosae: Loteae) and their systematic significance. S.A. Stenglein, M.N. Colares, A.M. Arambarri, M.C. Novoa, C.E. Vizcaino & L. Katinas. Pages 459–469. ❚ Responses of cycads with different life histories to the impact of plant collecting: simulation models to determine important life history stages and population recovery times. D.C. Raimondo & J.S. Donaldson. Pages 345–358. Aloe 40(2, 3, 4) 2003 The Botanical Review 69 (1) January–March 2003 ❚ New cliff-dwelling Crassulaceae from the Eastern Cape: a new Cotyledon and two new Adromischus taxa from Mbashe and Mzimvubu Rivers, South Africa. E.J. van Jaarsveld & A.E. van Wyk. Pages 36–40. ❚ Should taxon names be explicitly defined? G.Moore. Pages 2–21. ❚ Is the Neotropical flora ready for the PhyloCode? J.P. Janovec, L.G. Clark & S.A. Mori. Pages 22–43. ❚ Whereto Haworthia limifolia? M.B. Bayer. Pages 41–51. ❚ Dracophilus dealbatus (N.E.Br.) Wald. in the Richtersveld National Park. G. Williamson. Pages 53&54. ❚ Apomorphy-based definition also pinpoints a node, and PhyloCode names prevent effective communication. J.Kojima. Pages 44– 58. ❚ Cherishing the gems of the Little Karoo. A.L. Schutte-Vlok. Pages 60–64. ❚ The Linnaean System and its 250-year persistence. R.T. Schuh. Pages 59–78. SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 109 ❚ Critique of pure folly. J.M. Carpenter. Pages 79–92. This presents a critique of the draft PhyloCode. ❚ The illogical basis of phylogenetic nomenclature. R.A. Keller, R.N. Boyd & Q.D. Wheeler. Pages 93–110. Conservation Biology 17(1) (2003) ❚ Conservation science in Africa and the role of international collaboration. D. Western. Pages 11–19. Diversity and Distributions 9(1,3,5) (2003) ❚ The Phylocode is fatally flawed, and the “Linnaean” system can be easily fixed. K.C. Nixon, J.M. Carpenter & D.W. Stevenson. Pages 111–120. ❚ Species richness and floristic relationships between mesas and their surroundings in southern African Nama Karoo. A. Burke, K.J. Esler, E. Pienaar & P. Barnard. Pages 43–53. The Botanics Autumn 2003 Issue 14 ❚ Teach, empower and grow. Why skills is the key to conservation. I. Maspero. Pages 4–7. ❚ Identifying spatial components of ecological and evolutionary processes for regional conservation planning in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. M. Rouget, R.M. Cowling, R.L. Pressey & D.M. Richardson. Pages 191–210. Bothalia 33(1) (2003) ❚ The genus Solanum (Solanaceae) in southern Africa: subgenus Leptostemomum, the introduced sections Acanthophora and Torva. W.G. Welman. Pages 1–18. ❚ Studies in the genus Machairophyllum (Mesembryanthemaceae), with notes on some related genera. H. Kurzweil & P. Chesselet. Pages 19–40. ❚ A new serotinous species of Cliffortia L. (Rosaceae) from Northern Cape, South Africa and section Arboreae emended. A.C. Fellingham. Pages 41–48. ❚ A revision of Ledebouria (Hyacinthaceae) in South Africa. 3. The reinstatement of L. ensifolia, L. galpinii and L. sandersonii. T.J. Edwards & S. Venter. Pages 49–52. ❚ An annotated checklist of the pteridophyte flora of Swaziland. J.P. Roux. Pages 53–58. ❚ Taxonomy of the genus Passerina (Thymelaeaceae). C.L. Bredenkamp & A.E. van Wyk. Pages 59–98. ❚ A new subspecies of Brachystelma from Eastern Cape, South Africa (Asclepiadoideae-Ceropegieae). A.P. Dold & P.V. Bruyns. Pages 105–106. ❚ Tetradenia kaokoensis, a new species from Kaokoland, Namibia. E.J. van Jaarveld & A.E. van Wyk. Pages 107–108. ❚ A new species and combinations in Drimia (Urgineoideae). J.C. Manning & P. Goldblatt. Pages 109–111. ❚ A new species of Ornithogalum from Eastern Cape, South Africa. A.P. Dold & S.A. Hammer. Pages112–115. ❚ Two new cremnophilous taxa from semi-arid regions in South Africa. E.J. van Jaarveld & A.E. van Wyk. Pages 115–118. ❚ A new species of Philyrophyllum (Gnaphalieae) from Namibia. P.P.J. Herman. Pages 118–120. ❚ A comparison of Mopaneveld vegetation in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. F. Siebert, G.J. Bredenkamp & S.J. Siebert. Pages 121–134. ❚ New chromosome counts for three Drimiopsis taxa. P.D. Lebatha, J.J. Spies & M.H. Buys. Pages 135–138. ❚ Inselbergs in a changing world – global trends. A. Burke. Pages 375– 383. ❚ Distribution of alien plant species in relation to human disturbance on the Georgia Sea Islands. J.C. Rodgers III & K.C. Parker. Pages 385–398. ❚ Bibliodiversions (book reviews) – Regions of floristic endemism in southern Africa by A.E. Van Wyk and G.F. Smith. Pages 412–413. Ecological Monographs 73(3) August 2003 ❚ Community and phylogenetic structure of reproductive traits of woody species in wet tropical forests. R.L. Chazdon, S. Careaga, C. Webb & O. Vargas. Pages 331–348. ❚ Response of Eucaluptus-dominated savanna to frequent fires: Lessons from Munmarlary, 1973–1996. J. Russell-Smith, P.J. Whitehead, G.D. Cook & J.L. Hoare. Pages 349–375. ❚ Relationships at the aboveground-belowground interface: plants, soil biota, and soil processes. D.L. Porazinska, R.D. Bardgett, M.B. Blaauw, H.W. Hunt, A.N. Parsons, T.R. Seastedt & D.H. Wall. Pages 377–395. Environmental Conservation 29(4) (2002) ❚ Attitudes of coastal-forest users in Eastern Cape Province to management options arising from new South African forest policies. J.A.F. Obiri & M.J. Lawes. Pages 519–529. Farmers Weekly 26 September 2003, 10 October 2003 ❚ Checklist for cut-flower projects. J. Maree Page 48. ❚ Planets list of protected areas tops 100 000 mark. L. Phillips. Page 14. This was a short news article reporting on the World Parks Congress in Durban (2003). ❚ How to grow lily bulbs. J. Maree. Page 46. Fern Gazetteer 16(6,7,8) (2002) ❚ Fern conservation in south tropical Africa. J.E. Burrows & J.S. Golding. Pages 313–318. Flowering plants of Africa 58 (2003) ❚ Monotes glaber. Dipterocarpaceae. G. Kamumvuri, H.F. Glen & G. Condy. Pages 74–81. 110 SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 ❚ Strophanthus kombe. Apocynaceae. E. Nyamhanga, H.F. Glen & G. Condy. Pages 90–95. PlantLife 28 (2003) ❚ Pachycarpus concolor subsp. arenicola. D.J. Goyder & G. Condy. Pages 96–103. ❚ A checklist of the plants found in the Venda Brachystegia sites, and some comments on their future. J. Burrows, M. Lotter & N. Hahn. Pages 5–10. ❚ Dicerocaryum forbesii and D. senecioides. Pedaliaceae. A.E. van Wyk & G. Condy. Pages 118–133. ❚ The making of a checklist of Mahwaqa Moutain (Bulwer), Southern Drakensberg. A. Rennie. Pages 14–15. Journal of Applied Ecology 40(2) (2003) ❚ Canthium, Keetia and Psydrax (Rubiaceae) in South Africa. Part 2: How to recognise the South African species of Canthium. P.M. Tilney. Pages 19–24. ❚ The resistance of a chalk grassland to disturbance. R.A. Hirst, R.F. Pywell, R.H. Marrs & P.D. Putwain. Pages 368–379. Journal of Arid Environments 54(2) (2003) ❚ Very cold areas: trees and shrubs for beginners. B. Small. Pages 25–28. ❚ Regional perspectives on agriculture and biodiversity in the drylands of Africa. M.B.K. Darkoh. Pages 261–279. ❚ The spikethorns (Gymnosporia) in southern Africa: Sections Putterlickioides and Mossambicensis. M. Jordaan. Pages 35–41. ❚ Resource use conflicts: the future of the Kalahari ecosystem. N.M. Moleele & J. Mainah. Pages 405–423. ❚ The species concept and the conservation of biodiversity. Y. Steenkamp. Pages 42–43. Journal of Environmental Management 67(2) (2003) South African Journal of Botany 68(4) (2002) ❚ A multi-criteria targeting approach to neutral grassland conservation. J. Bayliss, A. Helyar, J.T. Lee & S. Thompson. Pages 145–160. Landscape Ecology 17(6) (2002) ❚ Landscape diversity in a conservation area and commercial and communal rangeland in xeric succulent thicket, South Africa. C. Fabricius, A.R. Palmer & M. Burger. Pages 531–537. ❚ Optimisation of the tissue culture protocol for the endangered Aloe polyphylla. J.C. Chukwujekwu, C.W. Fennell & J. van Staden. Pages 424–429. ❚ Growth of enset (Ensete ventricosum) suckers under different horticultural practices. M. Diro, S. Gebremariam, A. Zelleke & J van Staden. Pages 430–433. ❚ The horizontal distribution of root biomass in a South African winter-rainfall desert community. K.J. Esler, R.M. Cowling & N.S. Eccles. Pages 443–446. Nature 422(6930) (2003) ❚ The price of collecting life: overcoming the challenges involved in computerising herbarium specimens. G.F. Smith, Y. Steenkamp, R.R. Klopper, S.J. Siebert & T.H. Arnold. Pages 375–376. Oikos 99(2) (2002) ❚ Invasibility and compositional stability in a grassland community: relationships to diversity and extrinsic factors. B.L. Foster, V.H. Smith, T.L. Dickson & T. Hildebrand. Pages 300–307. ❚ Mechanisms of resistance of Mediterranean annual communities to invasion by Conyza bonariensis: effects of native functional composition. A.H. Prieur-Richard, S. Lavorel, A. Dos Santos & K. Grigulis. Pages 338–346. Oryx 36(4) (2002) ❚ An analysis of the performance of an artificial wetland for nutrient removal in solar saltworks. S.R. du Toit & E.E. Campbell. Pages 451– 456. ❚ Interpretation of late Holocene pollen in channel fills in the eastern Free State, South Africa, in terms of local conditions and sediment reworking. J.U. Grobbelaar & F.H. Mohn. Pages 469–474. ❚ Vegetation ecology of Sekhukhuneland, South Africa: Combretum hereroense–Grewia vernicosa Open Mountain Bushveld. S.J. Siebert, A.E. van Wyk & G.J. Bredenkamp. Pages 475–496. ❚ Vegetation ecology of Sekhukhuneland, South Africa: Kirkia wilmsii–Terminalia prunioides Closed Mountain Bushveld. S.J. Siebert, A.E. van Wyk & G.J. Bredenkamp. Pages 497–517. ❚ The effect of smoke on the photosynthetic gas exchange of Chrysanthemoides monilifera. M.E. Gilbert & B.S. Ripley. Pages 525–531. ❚ The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. P.P. Smith. Page 325. ❚ Possible control of Senna spectabilis (Caesalpiniaceae), an invasive tree in Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania. J.V. Wakibara & B.J. Mnaya. Pages 357–363. Oryx 37(1) (2003) ❚ An escalating trade in orchid tubers across Tanzania’s Southern Highlands: assessment, dynamics and conservation implications. T.R.B. Davenport & H.J. Ndangalasi. Pages 55–61. SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 ❚ The genetic diversity of Scaevola plumieri (Goodeniaceae), an indigenous dune coloniser, as revealed by Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) fingerprinting. N.P. Barker, K.T. Harman, B.S. Ripley & J. Bond. Pages 532–541. South African Journal of Science 98(11,12) (2002) ❚ Modelling Nama Karoo subshrub dry matter production using climatic variables.. P.C.V. du Toit. Pages 527–533. 111 ❚ Yeasts and related microorganisms isolated from ripe marula fruits (Sclerocarya caffra) in Zimbabwe. R.N. Okagbue & M. Siwela. Pages 551–552. ❚ Are Namibian inselbergs conservation islands? A floral perspective. A. Burke. Pages 560–562. ❚ The trade in medicinal plants in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. A.P. Dold & M.L. Cocks. Pages 589–596. Systematic Botany 8(2) (2003) ❚ The concepts of deep-time flora’s and paleobotanical hot-spots. A. Graham. Pages 461–464. Systematics and Geography of Plants 71(2) (2001) 1. Floristics: exploration, institutions and progress with the Floras of Africa ❚ Plant systematics and phytogeography for the understanding of African biodiversity: Proceedings of the XVIth AETFAT Congress. E. Robbrecht, J. Degreef & I. Friis. Pages 101–114. ❚ Progress with the botanical exploration of Ethiopia and Eritrea during the last forty years. I. Friis. Pages 165–186. ❚ Remarks on the diversity of Sapotaceae in the natural flora of the Ivory Coast. L.A. Assi. Pages 187–196. “SIG IVOIRE” and with regard to ecological factors. C. Chatelain, L. Gautier & R. Spichiger. Pages 313–326. ❚ The database FLOTROP and rangeland biodiversity in the Eastern Chad. P. Daget & A. Gaston. Pages 327–336. ❚ The database FLOTROP and the inventory of the flora of the pastures of Sahelian Africa. A. Gaston & P. Daget. Pages 337–344. ❚ Computerized data on the flora of Africa and Madagascar at the Paris Herbarium. M. Pignal, J-N. Labat, H. Falaise, C. Cusset et al. Pages 345–356. ❚ New floras from old: a roadmap for converting existing floras to electronic media. W.G. Gosline. Pages 357–362. ❚ The herbarium and ALF on line. P. Daget & C. Frohlich. Page 363. ❚ Validity at regional level of the national floras in Western Africa: the example of Poaceae. B. Toutain, P. Daget & P. Poilecot. Pages 364– 365. 3. Monographs and revisions of African genera ❚ A survey of continental African Coptosperma (Rubiaceae, Pavetteae). J. Degreef, P. De Block & E. Robbrecht. Pages 367–382. ❚ The genus Sabicea (Rubiaceae) in São Tomé (São Tomé and Príncipe). G. Joffroy. Pages 383–390. ❚ Aquatic and wetland plants in Guinea-Bissau: an overview. L. Catarino, M.C. Duarte & M.A. Diniz. Pages 197–208. ❚ Infrageneric classification of Haworthia (Aloaceae): perspectives from nectar sugar analysis. G.F. Smith, B-E. van Wyk, E.M.A. Steyn & I. Breuer. Pages 391–398. ❚ Distribution of vascular epiphytes on quickset hedges in the Bafou region (Cameroon). B. Sonké, L. Zapfack & C. Folefack. Pages 209– 222. ❚ Leaf and bract diversity in Gnidia (Thymelaeaceae): patterns and taxonomic value. A.J. Beaumont, T.J. Edwards & F.R. Smith. Pages 399–418. ❚ A floristic study of weed species of Kampala (Uganda). M. Mosango, O. Maganyi & M. Namaganda. Pages 223–236. ❚ Patterns of diversity among involucral bracts, inflorescences and flowers in Gnidia (Thymelaeaceae). A.J. Beaumont, T.J. Edwards & F.R. Smith. Pages 419–432. ❚ Assessment of status of Herbaria and capabilities in taxonomy and systematics for natural resources inventory in sub-Saharan Africa. C.S. Kabuye. Pages 237–246. ❚ SABONET: Developing capacity within southern Africa’s herbaria and botanical gardens. C.K. Willis & B.J. Huntley. Pages 247–258. ❚ The Centro de Botânica of the IICT (Lisboa) and the co-operation with African countries. M.A. Diniz & E.S. Martins. Pages 259–264. ❚ FTEA and after. H.J. Beentje & S.A.L. Smith. Pages 265–290. ❚ Project Flora of Benin – a Flora and more. A. Akoegninou, J. van der Burg & J. van der Maesen. Pages 291–292. ❚ Flora Zambesiaca and its progress. G. Pope. Pages 293–294. ❚ State of the botanical and floristic research in the Dja biosphere reserve. A. Akoa & M. Mbolo. Pages 295–298. ❚ Further systematic studies in Berlinia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, Detarieae sensu lato). B. Mackinder. Pages 433– 442. ❚ Xyris (Xyridaceae) in Africa – a progress report. J.M. Lock. Pages 443–444. ❚ Millettia sect. Efulgentes and sect. Opacae (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae), an overview. A.C. Adomou & L.J.G. van der Maesen. Pages 445–447. 4. Family level systematics ❚ Generic delimitation of Hyacinthaceae, with special emphasis on sub-Saharan genera. B. Stedje. Pages 449–454. ❚ Reinstatement of the Afro-Malagasy genus Coptosperma (Rubiaceae, Ixoroideae, Pavetteae). P. De Block, J. Degreef & E. Robbrecht. Pages 455–492. 2. Computerised floristic information for the African flora ❚ A study – using WORLDMAP – of distributions of African savanna plants. A-M. Bürger. Pages 301–312. ❚ The potential distribution of species as extracted from the database 112 ❚ The occurrence of long, narrow corolla tubes in southern African Lamiaceae. C.J. Potgieter & T.J. Edwards. Pages 493–502. ❚ Myxocarpy in the Nepetoideae (Lamiaceae) with notes on myxodiaspory in general. O. Ryding. Pages 503–513. SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 5. Molecular approaches towards taxonomy of African plants ❚ Tribal delimitation of Naucleeae (Cinchonoideae, Rubiaceae): inference from molecular and morphological data. S.G. Razafimandimbison & B. Bremer. Pages 515–538. ❚ Generic relationships and character evolution in Cyperus s.l. (Cyperaceae). A. Muthama Muasya, D.A. Simpson & M.W. Chase. Pages 539–544. ❚ Phylogenetic studies in Streptocarpus (Gesneriaceae): reconstruction of biogeographic history and distribution patterns. M. Möller & Q.C.B. Cronk. Pages 545–556. ❚ The taxonomic value of bacterial symbiont identification in African Psychotria (Rubiaceae). S. van Oevelen, E. Prinsen, R. de Wachter & E. Robbrecht. Pages 557–564. 6. Orchid taxonomy and conservation ❚ Orchidaceae diversity of São Tomé (São Tomé and Príncipe). T. Stévart & D. Geerinck. Pages 565–574. ❚ Ethnobotany on the Internet. What are the prospects for the African Ethnobotany Network? C. Petit & E. Dounias. Pages 765–775. 8. The lowland forest floras of Africa ❚ The catastrophic destruction of central African rain forests occurring about 2500 years ago still exerts a major influence on the present distribution of vegetation formations. J. Maley. Pages 777–798. ❚ Floristic diversity of two gallery forests in the Biosphere Reserve of the Mare aux Hippopotames (Burkina Faso, West Africa). B.O. Mamounata. Pages 797–806. ❚ Study of the latitudinal gradients of the natural undergrowth of teak (Tectona grandis) plantations in south and central Benin. J.C. Ganglo. Pages 807–816. ❚ Woody plants recovery in abandoned farms of different ages in the Mount Cameroon region. N. Ndam & J. Healey. Pages 817–826. ❚ Habitats and diversity of phytogeographical groups in the flora of the Odzala National Park (Congo-Brazzaville). L.A. Kouka. Pages 827–836. ❚ Diversity of Upper Katanga epiphytes (mainly orchids) and distribution in different vegetation units. M. Schaijes & F. Malaisse. Pages 575–584. ❚ Diversity of trees in the Nsork rain forest (Equatorial Guinea). B. Senterre & N. Nguema. Pages 837–846. ❚ Symbiotic seed germination in twelve Kenyan orchid species. J. Ochora, W.D. Stock, H.P. Linder & L. Newton. Pages 585–596. ❚ Phytogeographical analysis of Ngotto forest (Central African Republic). O. Yongo & B. de Foucault. Pages 847–858. ❚ In vitro germination of several South African summer rainfall Disa (Orchidaceae) species: is seed testa structure a function of habitat and a determinant of germinability? D.I. Thompson, T.J. Edwards & J. van Staden. Pages 597–638. ❚ A phytogeographical analysis of the forest flora of the Kasai Sector (Congo-Kinshasa). C.L. Ayingweu. Pages 859–871. 7. Plant utilization and its effect on biodiversity and conservation ❚ Considerations on the plant systematics and nomenclature used by the Malinké, Ivory Coast. G-A. Ambé & F. Malaisse. Pages 639– 660. ❚ Endangerment of plants used against malaria in the Mintom subdivision south of the Dja biosphere reserve (Cameroon). J.L. Betti. Pages 661–678. ❚ Contribution to ethnobotanical and floristic studies of the Lossi forest (R.P. Congo): the edible plants harvested by picking. V. Kimpouni. Pages 679–686. ❚ A contribution to the study of native edible plants by the Turumbu and Lokele of the Tshopo District, Province Orientale, D.R. Congo. I.B. Liengola. Pages 687–698. ❚ Habitat, conservation, and use of Gilletiodendron glandulosum (Fabaceae, Caesalpinoideae) in southwestern Mali. C.S. Duvall. Pages 699–738. ❚ Domestication of Gnetum africanum and G. buchholzianum (Gnetaceae), over-exploited wild forest vegetables of the Central African Region N. Ndam, J.-P. Nkefor & P. Blackmore. Pages 739–746. ❚ Traditional utilisation of Garcinia lucida and Garcinia kola (Clusiaceae) in Cameroon. N.M. Guedje & R. Fankap. Pages 747–758. ❚ AFlora: A database of traditional plant use in tropical Africa. M. Ichikawa, D. Kimura & H. Terashima. Pages 759–764. SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 9. Flora and phytogeography of miombo type woodlands and savannas ❚ Life forms and species diversity of woodland associations in northern Benin. B. Sinsin. Pages 873–888. ❚ Phytogeographical analysis of the Monts Kouffé region in Benin. M. Houinato & B. Sinsin. Pages 889–910. ❚ First botanical diversity studies of inselbergs from continental Equatorial Guinea. I. Parmentier. Pages 911–922. ❚ Chipya in Kasanka National Park, Zambia: floristics, soils and dynamics. P.P. Smith & R. Fisher. Pages 923–934. ❚ Small-scale variations in species composition of miombo woodland in Sengwa, Zimbabwe: the influence of edaphic factors, fire and elephant herbivory. I. Mapaure. Pages 935–947. 10. The montane floras of Africa ❚ What do we really know about the Afromontane Archipelago? J.M. Grimshaw. Pages 949–958. ❚ Succession and regeneration patterns of East African mountain forests: A review. R.W. Bussmann. Pages 959–974. ❚ The Simen Mountains (Ethiopia): comments on plant biodiversity, endemism, phytogeographical affinities and historical aspects. C. Puff & S. Nemomissa. Pages 975–992. ❚ Developing a greater understanding of the flora of the Nyika C.K. Willis, J.E. Burrows, L. Fish, P.S.M. Phiri, A.C. Chikuni & J. Golding. Pages 993–1008. 113 ❚ Flora and vegetation of the natural forest of Nyungwe, Rwanda. C.E.N. Ewango. Pages 1009–1016. ❚ The Mzimvubu River Botanical Expedition. E. van Jaarsveld, P. Xaba, A.Harrower & G. Zwide. Pages 101–105. ❚ Plant diversity assessment on Mount Cameroon: surveys from 1990 to 2000. N. Ndam, J. Acworth, D. Kenfack, P. Tchouto & J.B. Hall. Pages 1017–1022. ❚ Zantedeschia jucunda and Zantedeschis pentlendii. The beautiful yellow arums from the Sekhukhuneland Centre of Floristic Endemism. C. Craib. Pages 106–109. ❚ Plant recovery on the 1922 and 1959 lava flows on Mount Cameroon, Cameroon. N. Ndam, J. Healey, M. Cheek & P. Fraser. Pages 1023–1032. ❚ Sands of Time. A dune garden in the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden, Betty’s Bay. J. Forrester. Pages 110–112. 11. Phytogeography ❚ Cape elements on high-altitude corridors and edaphic islands: historical aspects and preliminary phytogeography. C. Carbutt & T. Edwards. Pages 1034–1062. ❚ The Lindi local centre of endemism in SE Tanzania. G.P. Clarke. Pages 1063–1072. ❚ Microrefugia, small scale ice age forest remnants. M.E. Leal. Pages 1073–1078. ❚ Influence of environmental features in the phytogeographic framework of Guinea-Bissau. L. Catarino, E.S. Martins & I. Moreira. Pages 1079–1086. ❚ The phytogeography of the rain forests of Equatorial Guinea, with special emphasis on the Nsork rain forest. B. Senterre. Pages 1087– 1096. ❚ The phytogeography and flora of western Cameroon and the Cross River-Sanaga River interval. M. Cheek, B. Mackinder, G. Gosline, J-M. Onana & G. Achoundong: Pages 1097–1100. ❚ Diversity, phytogeographical affinities and possible origins of the flora of Mayotte (Comoro Archipelago). O. Pascal, J-N. Labat, M. Pignal & O. Soumillec. Pages 1101–1124. ❚ Patterns of African vascular plant diversity – a GIS based analysis. J. Mutke, G. Kier, G. Braun, C. Schulz & W. Barthlott. Pages 1125– 1145. ❚ A sticky story. Why do some ericas have sticky flowers? J. Vlok & A.L. Schutle-Vlok. Pages 113–115. ❚ War on weeds. K. Montgomery. Pages 116–117. ❚ Every plant has its weevil. Intimate relationships between weevils and plants in the Baviaanskloof. S. Proches. Pages 118–120. ❚ Perusing a most unusual parasitic plant: Hydnora africana. T. Dold, M. Cocks & N. Sizane. Pages 12–14. ❚ Chikanda: they eat orchids in Zambia. M. Bingham, G.M. Kokwe & J. Golding. Pages 15–17. ❚ Plant with an appetite: sundews of the south. W. Voigt. Pages 18–20. ❚ Re-discovery of the antler-leafed crassula, Crassula alcicornis. P. Desmet & M. Opel. Page 21. ❚ Oxalis: weed or treasure. J. Holmes. Pages 26–27. ❚ Protea asymmetrica: what defines this unusual winter-flowering Zimbabwean endemic? D. Plowes & A. Moore. Pages 28–29. ❚ The plight of the once abundant but now declining Gerbera aurantiaca. I. Johnson. Page 31. ❚ Seed dispersal and banking in Renosterveld. N. Shiponeni. Pages 32–33. ❚ The fynbos Garden of Eden. S. Privett. Pages 50–52. ❚ What is SABONET? S.J. Siebert & C.K. Willis. Pages 53–55. Taxon 52(1) (2003) ❚ Driving the E-type initiative as the ALL Species Project picks up speed. G.F. Smith. Pages 99–100. ❚ How many species of seed plants are there? R.W. Scotland & A.H. Wortley. Pages 101–104. ❚ Maputaland’s Licuati Forest and Thicket. S. Izidine, S.J. Siebert & A.E. van Wyk. Pages 56–61. ❚ Cyphia: often seen, but little known. C.N. Cupido & F. Conrad. Pages 62–63. Veld & Flora 89(1,2,3) (2003) ❚ Eulophia welwitschii: a safe haven for a rare orchid. A.M. Brynard. Pages 68–69. ❚ Positive news for Bushmanland. M. Anderson. Pages 93–95. ❚ Poor little rich flora? A.V. Milewski. Pages 72–73. ❚ The extraordinary floral riches of Pondoland. Working towards a ‘Pondo park’. M. Nel. Pages 96–99. 114 — Yolande Steenkamp, Tammy Smith & Stefan Siebert [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 News from Botswana Internship: Botswana comes to Kirstenbosch, Cape Town K irstenbosch Botanical Garden was my destination of choice for two reasons. Firstly, it is one of the best developed and largest gardens in southern Africa providing the ideal opportunity to develop an insight into the management of living plant collections in developed gardens and to gain an understanding of the role of community gardens and their influence, particular on school groups. Secondly, under the auspices of the SABONET project, Kirstenbosch works in close collaboration with the Botswana National Botanical Garden. Activities and Highlights The interaction with the garden staff responsible for the different sections of the Garden was informative and educational and some highlights included: clever constructions that imitate natural conditions. By creating these conditions, plants such as succulents and ferns thrive. This is an effective way to conserve plants and to educate people about their importance. Plant interpretation and labelling is the most important link to the public and forms an important part of botanical garden management. It is the medium through which active, fun-filled learning is encouraged. The writing on the labels should be short, informative, and easy to read. I was particularly interested in the different types of labels and the advantages and disadvantages associated with using certain media for signage. It is recommended, for example, that only a certain metal label should be used for plants in the garden, as it is longer lasting. Recording plant information is a daunting task. Computerisation makes this critically important function attainable. Two members of staff showed me how data are captured on computer. Visits to other Gardens The library is a rich source of easily accessible information, which, apart from books, includes collections of slides and videocassettes. In the nursery, seedlings, grown from seed collected on different collecting trips to selected areas, are housed. Amongst these are seedlings of threatened species, their very presence an example of the commitment to conservation. The glasshouses and conservatories are There was a chance to visit other gardens, such as the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden and Harold Porter National Botanical Garden in Betty’s Bay. The most important insight gained from these visits was that although each garden is different and has different needs and functions, especially when compared to the Botswana National Botanical Garden all gardens have the same main focus: the successful ex situ cultivation and conservation of plants. The Community Outside the Garden The community outside the garden is not excluded from the resources Kirstenbosch has to offer. Outreach Greening programmes focus on the planting of indigenous gardens at schools, situated in historically disadvantaged communities. NBI staff offer their skills and knowledge to assist in this process. These gardens serve as a means to introduce pupils to their heritage and to the concept of a botanical garden. These gardens also conserve indigenous plants. Recommendation Internships, an activity initiated by the SABONET project, should form an essential part of Botanical Garden management internationally. Through internships, crucial knowledge is gained, serving to improve Botanic Garden practice in the cultivation and conservation of indigenous plants. It could be the vehicle for learning and teaching, and a means to strengthen ties with other gardens through insight gained, ultimately resulting in a growing network of gardens. Conclusion The trip was very successful, offering valuable learning experiences that have enabled me to make a worthwhile contribution to our botanic garden. I was well received and enjoyed the interaction with the staff. The activities were well planned and educational. I learned a lot about Botanic Garden management, focussing on Living Plant From left to right: Petalidium bracteatum, a Namibian species; Internees discussing the propagation of bulbs; Inspecting the huge compost heap at Kirstenbosch NBG. SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 115 From left to right: Trevor Adams explaining the misting system; Ernst van Jaarsveld with Tobias Angla and Steve Carr; Deon Viljoen demonstrating propagation techniques. Collections. The insight gained into the garden’s community involvement, focussing on growing gardens in schools, was invaluable. A special thank you to Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for sponsoring this initiative. My appreciation to the SABONET Regional Office for implementing this programme and the Botswana Government (National Museum) for permission to visit Kirstenbosch. I am grateful to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden for hosting me, and for the training I received. It was a pleasure to visit the Karoo Desert Botanical Garden and Harold Porter Botanical Garden—thank you for the keen interest shown in my visits there. —Diphetogo Menyatso National Botanical Garden Botswana [email protected] News from Malawi Botanic Garden Internship at Pretoria I had a rare and most exciting opportunity to visit the Pretoria National Botanical Garden from 17-28 March 2003 on a Botanical Internship. Karin Behr, Curator of the Pretoria National Botanical Garden and Stefan Siebert, Regional Co-ordinator of SABONET, facilitated my visit and stay at the NBI. I worked closely with and benefited from the untiring efforts of Thompson Mutsinyalo, Nick Klapwijk and Francinah Mphaka. I also made outside visits to other institutions to see and learn what they were doing. Arriving at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden, I was gripped by what I saw: “An African Savanna in the heart of Tshwane” and felt right at home! The enthusiasm of the people I came into contact with, as well 116 Some of the wonderful and weird cacti on display at Sheilam Nursery. as their keen interest in training me, made me feel appreciated. My objectives for this period centred around the development of the following areas of interest: • Nursery Work and Management • General Botanical Garden Management • Documenting the Living Collections • Environmental Interpretation Nursery Work and Management I worked with Thompson Mutsinyalo, the horticulturist responsible for plant propagation and nursery management. I observed that they target those species in the collection area that are not in the garden and nursery. The aim of the propagation of indigenous plant species is to enrich the Botanic Garden. Each plant collected and propagated is labelled with an accession number, the place where it was collected and the date on which it was collected. This information is important to keep proper records. In the Pretoria Garden the nurseries have been well constructed and many have facilities for mist propagation. The various collections, for example aloes, lithops and stapelia, are kept separate. The different people responsible for each collection have thorough training and the knowledge to maintain that specific group of plants. A maintenance plan, developed by the horticulturist, is used as a basis for weekly and monthly reports written by the nursery personnel, containing details of work done for a specific period. The horticulturist gives feedback on these and on individual performance each month. I noted that because of hard work, co-operation and a keen interest to learn new skills, the nursery is able to reach its targets. Environmental Interpretation Pitta Joffe defines Interpretation as a form of communication with visitors in the Garden. The main aim of interpretation in the Botanic Garden is usually to get people excited about plants and to make them re- SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 alise how important plants, and therefore their sustainable use, are. She emphasises that signs should always have funny and catchy themes that tell a story, as people usually remember themes, not facts. Storyboards should always • Be short and simple. • Attract attention—give them catchy and amusing titles. • Entertain and make learning fun—use informative text and illustrations. • Be active not passive – use powerful, active verbs in your text. • Be brief—a maximum of 70 words. • Use short sentences. • Have simple straightforward text. • Have titles that tell a story. • Be positioned and sized correctly for your audience. • Address non-botanists—no unfamiliar language or technical terms. • Use simple and clearly defined terminology if necessary. • Be bold, clear, and attractive. • Ensure that existing signs, displays, and storyboards are clean, neat, and up-to-date. Doing visitor surveys and observing responses is a good way to evaluate your work. Learning from this process and changing your approach to suit the interpretive situation will result in a more meaningful experience for the visitor. Living Collection Documentation Plant recorder Collet Solomons showed me how she records information from plant collection books on a computer. Plant species at the nursery and in the garden, including dead and missing specimens, are also computerised. Various sections of the garden can be viewed on computer, using slides and pictures. Garden Layout and Landscaping Nick Klapwijk and Francinah Mphaka showed me around the Garden in order to develop an understanding of, and insight into the tremendous amount of creative thought and work that go into landscaping and garden layout. I observed various pathway and flowerbed designs and some special areas like the Medicinal, Succulent, and Euphorbia gardens, as well as the Dassie Trail. I was made aware, and loved the art of massing up and colour mixing ground covers with indigenous flowers, as this makes the garden attractive. Cate Mthembi is the marketing officer who is responsible for advertising the activities in the garden. She is also responsible for accessing funding to support the marketing functions in the garden from various stakeholders. This seems to have paid off, if one is to look at how well the community supports the Garden activities. Through the involvement of the community, funds are generated and used towards the development of the Garden. Outside Visits Environmental Education The Environmental Education Centre at the Pretoria Botanical Garden offers a wide range of activities and resources for educators and learners. Resources of the NBI inspire and enable people to take responsibility for their environment. I learnt from Cyprian Mathaba and Eugenie Novellie, both education officers, that the Education Centre assists people who wish to develop learning programmes with an environmental focus. These are developed in line with the National Curriculum. The Centre has a hall that can be used for meetings and a resource centre for environmental education information for teachers and learners. A guided visit costs R10 per learner, while teachers assisting have free entry. Botanical Garden Management/Marketing The curator, Karin Behr, emphasised that as a leader you must have a vision and goals. It is also important to behave in a straightforward manner and to display trust in others. I noted that being assertive and pursuing goals vigorously, while being able to accept different opinions and viewpoints; developing new ideas and applying innovative approaches; seizing opportunities and taking responsibility without hesitation; as well as working long and hard to achieve results are essential principles in management. Karin Behr and Francinah Mphaka arranged a visit to the Safari Nursery Complex and the Union Buildings in Pretoria to demonstrate what they were doing in the areas of plant propagation and landscaping. This was very educational. I acquired a lot of information during my Botanical Garden Internship. There was something new to learn every day. I will implement the knowledge that I gained to the benefit of our botanical garden. I am grateful that I was afforded the opportunity to visit the Pretoria National Botanical Garden as an Intern. On behalf of the National Herbarium and Botanic Gardens (NHBG) of Malawi, I thank Karin Behr, Curator of the Pretoria National Botanical Garden, and Stefan Siebert, SABONET Co-ordinator, for facilitating my stay during the Internship. I thank all members of staff for looking after me and for their enthusiasm in teaching me. I also thank the SABONET Secretariat in Pretoria for providing the funding for the visit. Finally, I thank the NHBG of Malawi for releasing me for the visit. —Austin Enock Chikumba Zomba National Botanic Garden Malawi From left to right: Donald Mpalika and Ludo Matenge in the Pretoria National Botanical Garden during a SABONET database course in November 2002. (Photo: Shaibu Kananji); Maxwell and Alice examining monocot specimens in the herbarium. (Photo: Alpheus Mothapo); Maxwell and Lyn identifying a grass specimen. (Photo: Alpheus Mothapo). SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 117 News from Namibia Roughing it in the Kaokoveld! T he National Herbarium of Namibia (WIND), in collaboration with the Tree Atlas Project (TAP), organised a field trip to the north-western region of Namibia from 3–14 March 2003. This area is known as the Kaokoveld, and lies in the Kunene Region. Its vegetation comprises mainly of mopane savanna. Collecting was done over 17 quarter degree squares, with a total distance of 2,325 km covered by each vehicle. Together, the five of us, that is, Barbara Curtis (TAP), Luise Hoffmann (TAP), Silke Rügheimer (WIND), Esmerielda Klaassen (WIND), and I, Sonja Schubert (WIND), collected approximately 1,063 specimens, recorded 850 TAP observations and collected about 20 live plants for the National Botanic Garden. Kaokoveld is a semi-desert to very arid region, consisting of a variety of landscapes, ranging from areas with deep sand to areas that are very hilly, rocky and rough. Travelling there is extremely tough on vehicles. Our entire field trip had been planned in the communal areas, meaning that we would see no people, cars or get into a town for many consecutive days. As vehicles can break down quite easily and garages are virtually non-existent, it is important to use at least two vehicles on a trip when travelling in this area. Owing to a shortage of space, we used three 4 X 4 vehicles, one of which was a SABONET vehicle, the second a vehicle hired by SABONET, and the third, a private vehicle used by the Tree Atlas Team, a little Suzuki with a big “heart”. We mainly targeted undercollected grids as determined from the Specimen Database at WIND. At first, our collecting prospects seemed very bleak as hardly any rain had fallen in this area. The ground looked barren. This feeling of hopelessness changed radically when we stopped to take some photographs of flowering Adenium boehmianum specimens next to the road and spotted many different herbs! Now our collecting endeavours could take off properly, with plant presses carried up and down mountains to press those delicate specimens immediately before they have a chance to wilt. Every now and then you would hear: “Hey! Look what I found—this is one of my babies”, and so the excitement continued. Being new at the herbarium and on my first field trip, these comments sounded rather strange. As the Kaokoveld is mostly communal farm land, there are many two-track paths that we followed to do our collecting. We also collected on mountains, often known to harbour greater species diversity than the plains or lower lying areas. Fortunately Luise speaks a little of the local language. However broken, her command of Otjiherero often helped us to locate guides who could assist in finding the places we were targeting for collecting purposes. At the Etoto Hills, some of the local people were interested in our activities, and when Luise explained the purpose of our presence there, they brought her all types of plant specimens and taught her the Otjiherero names for these. This was very useful. Five days were spent in the area south and slightly south-west of Ruacana. Rainfall had been quite good in this area and collecting went well. On the Etoto Hills, Essie and I collected about 65 different herb species on the southern slope of the mountain. Such good collecting filled half of our presses within five days—we brought 25 presses along! Travelling further west, we entered the more semi-arid region. This area was very Euphorbia dry, making herb collecting quite difficult. We concentrated on collecting in the Zebra Mountains and their surrounding areas and saw many specimens of Euphorbia eduardoi. This species is endemic to the area, and is cited in the Red Data List of Namibia. The further west we travelled, the drier it became. Every herb that dared to emerge was pressed. We travelled all the way up to the northern border of Namibia, and tried our luck collecting along the perennial Kunene River, but as the River had come down in flood, the tracks had either washed away or were underwater. We started removing parts of a huge Combretum imberbe that had washed over a little detour we were trying to build, but cut it short at the thought of the flow of the river that at times rise up to and over 2 metres within a few hours. It all depends on the amount of water released through the sluices at the Ruacana Hydroelectric Scheme. What if the river came down in flood while we were From left to right: Having a break at the spectacular Ruacana Falls. From left to right: Silke, Essie (Kleintjie), Barbara and myself. Luise is the specialist photographer; Luise pressing plant specimens. 118 SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 when it looked as if we would have to travel on enthusiasm as a substitute for petrol. The pipe leading from the spare petrol tank to the main tank of the hired vehicle had a serious leak. Never without a plan, we mixed finely cut pieces of sunlight soap with water to form a mush pulp that was put on the broken section of the pipe. This lasted till we reached Ruacana. Ruacana, not surprisingly, does not have a mechanic workshop, but the owner of the petrol station organised a 2 m long water hose, which we used to make the repair. Essie and I were drenched with petrol in the process—our improvisation lasted until the end of the trip. Barbara rewarded us with a six pack of ice cold beer for our hard, messy work. Of course, every field trip has its unexpected mishaps as well. On the second day we thought things had turned for the worst Back at home, the “fun” part of the field trip, namely identifying all collected plants, lay ahead. Not all specimens have been identified yet, but two of the specimens caused a lot of excitement in the institute: a new record was identified by Silke from her collection (Stapelia leenderitziae N.E.Br.), and Essie collected a rare specimen—only the second record for Namibia (Rhinacanthus kaokoensis K.Balkwill & S.Williamson). Pursuing Plants in the Khomas Hochland, Central Namibia We also found Pterodiscus aurantiacus, a small caudiciform plant, and lifted two. W Damp soil eased the task of lifting Euphorbia gariepina subsp. gariepina and reduced damage to the root system in the process. Tobias showed some mastery with the crowbar, while Silke cursed the GPS and relentlessly filled in data collection forms. When lunchtime came, we sought the shelter of a tree next to the road. With no time to waste, we soon took to the road again and it was then that I became aware of something burrowing into my neck. It was a tick! To my horror I noticed more, crawling up my legs and shirt. Time stood still as I furiously plucked them off. Strangely, my companions were tick-free… The Zebra Mountain area. busy building roads? We thought it wiser to get out of the area! e started out on a field trip on 11 February 2003 that took us to Nauchas, the Spreegtshoogte, and the Gamsberg. The cloudy skies kept us cool and calm. As we drove from Windhoek up into the Khomas Hochland, it was hard to imagine that only a few weeks before it had been dry and blisteringly hot—the January rains refusing to fall, with record high temperatures the order of the day. Now everywhere was green. It was a Tuesday morning when Silke Bartsch, Tobias Angula and I set out in the SABONET vehicle with our spades, secateurs, crowbars, boxes and enthusiasm to collect a range of plants for the National Botanic Garden in Windhoek. We aimed to collect cuttings of Euphorbia guerichiana and Commiphora sp., as well as some live plants. With Silke at the wheel, we made steady progress west out of Windhoek and then south towards the Namibgrens Guesthouse. We stopped regularly as we marvelled at the difference in the roadside plants, as compared to when we had travelled here with Ian Oliver, curator of the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden, before the rains. We stopped at the two known locations for Euphorbia pseudoduseimata, looking for seeds. Although there were no seeds, we were delighted to find another small population! SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 With the afternoon stretching out before us and the drizzle keeping us in good spirits, we stopped to lift Ebracteola montismoltkei, Sarcocaulon marlothii, Anacampseros albissima and a Stapelia flavapurpurea (that almost escaped our attention under a thick bush). Shortly before reaching our destination for the night, we stopped to explore an interesting granite koppie alongside the road. The rock hyrax (dassie) watched our every movement. The koppie turned out to be a place of great interest with a number of large Aloe viridiflora and Cyphostemma bainesii growing on the slopes. We lifted two C. bainsii. We were disappointed to find A Lifesaving Tip for a “Successful” Field Trip At the end of a hard day’s work, there is nothing more enjoyable than a cold beer. It relieves the frustration of the chores, such as changing blotters and making notes that need to be taken care of in the evenings. Luise’s recipe to keep a beer cold is as follows: Take a sock; soak it in water; put the beer bottle into the sock; hang the sock in a tree where there is enough wind circulation for half an hour; take the sock down; open the beer and enjoy! (Thanks TAP for providing the beer incentive for the evenings.) We would also like to thank SABONET for sponsoring the hired vehicle. This increased our capacity to take enough presses along to make the trip really worthwhile. Thanks also to the Anglo American Camp for the generous use of their most welcome facilities in the Zebra Mountains for two nights. —Sonja Schubert neither young A. viridiflora plants nor any seeds. Reports from farmers in the area suggest that young A. viridiflora plants are rare, as the baboons remove the inflorescences before the seeds have time to disperse. We reached our destination, grapevines laiden with sweet, ripe, black grapes waiting as if ordered – a delicious entré to the main course of venison. The busy day called for an early night. On Wednesday morning we worked our way down the Spreegtshoogte Pass. Here we targeted Euphorbia guerichiana, taking cuttings and lifting young Euphorbia guerichiana plants. About 30 truncheon cuttings of E. guerichiana were taken to create a “forest” in the National Botanic Garden. We were also hoping to lift some Sarcocaulon salmoniflorum, but had to settle for only one plant in the end. The very steep, rocky terrain did not allow for the removal of the plants with sufficient roots intact. As we progressed down the pass, we saw Commiphora, Hoodia and Moringa. It was obvious that the season’s rain had not yet been down the pass into the lower Namib and it was dry and hot. After lunch, enjoyed under a Boscia albitrunca, we set off on the circular route for the Gamsberg. We stopped near some white quartz plains, hoping for an interesting find. I searched in vain, while my colleagues, who chose to climb a nearby mountain ridge, were excited to find a Commiphora saxicola. We 119 took a single truncheon cutting, not wanting to spoil the aesthetic appeal of the only plant near the road. Soon we arrived at the Goub River Canyon, a tributary of the Kuiseb River. The heat and humidity were stifling, and while the shallow, muddy flow ruled out any prospect of a refreshing swim, Tobias showed the way by splashing his arms and face. As we travelled east towards the Gamsberg, the vegetation changed, with tree species becoming more evident. Leaving the brown dryness of the desert behind us, we climbed the steep Gamsberg Pass and were surrounded by Commiphora, Euphorbia, Sterculia and Moringa tree species. After winding our way to the very top of the pass and along the farm road, we arrived at Hakos Guest Farm, situated between the Gamsberg Mountain and the Hakos Mountains, with its endless view of the mountainous Khomas Hochland. News from South Africa Burchell’s Tracks Retraced in Search of Oxylaena I n March 2003, we set out on a collecting trip in search of a species thought to be extinct. The trip started in the Uniondale area and was prompted by the opening of the Burchell 4 x 4 trail on Pietersrivier, a farm near the Prince Alfred’s Pass, owned by Katot Meyer. A section of ox wagon tracks used by Burchell was revealed after a fire and now leads to adventures for many modern-day explorers. Since Burchell first collected the species in 1814, it has not been re-collected. A trip like this requires careful planning well ahead of the departure date. We did our homework well, researching all available literature, analysing the descriptions, illustrations, old maps and journals. One of our references included a photocopy of the type specimen that is housed at Kew. Of great importance was to visit the region at the same time of the year as Burchell did and to get as close as possible to the original locality, which, in this case, was precise: “Knysna Division, between Cloete’s kraal and Paardekraal.” This is near Uniondale on a minor road, west of Prince Alfred’s Pass. Fourcade (1944), who was familiar with the area, transcribed Burchell’s field notebook (“Catalogus Geographicus Plantarum”) and provided comprehensive notes on this part of his travels. This is essential reading for anyone interested in Burchell or in collecting plants in the area. Oxylaena has been an enigma for many years. Many botanists searched for it but “never 120 Thursday found us working our way down the pass again, stopping to take cuttings of the Euphorbia, Sterculia and the two common Commiphora species in the area. A few Myrothamnus flabellifolius and ferns were also lifted. Later that afternoon we took a walk on the farm (not to collect but to observe) and were surprised at the abundance of Cyphostemma bainesii. They seemed to pop up behind every rock and in every crevice. On Friday morning, we headed back to Windhoek, having successfully collected all the plant material we set out to, other than Euphorbia spartaria, which we lifted closer to Windhoek. This last target accomplished, we returned from a very rewarding, beautiful trip! Into the back of the Toyota went E. lignosa, E. guerichiana, E. gariepina subsp. gariepina, Ebracteola montismoltkei, Stapelia flavopurpurea, Sarco- found it.” One of the main reasons for the uncertainty has been flower colour, as it was never described originally. The colour of the florets was stated by Bentham to be orangeyellow, but Burtt and Anderberg thought that the florets might be white and pink. The leaves, as illustrated in Hooker’s Icones Plantarum (1876), are exceptionally long and the cypselas are immature, making positive identification in this case difficult. After doing all the groundwork, we were positive that we knew what the plant looked like and we had a good idea where to find it. Even then, it was not easy, as we had to search long and hard, putting the SABONET 4x4 to the test in an effort to find a plant resembling our “search-image.” Our excitement was great when we found a small, compact, yellowflowered plant with all the characteristics we were searching for. It was a grey, misty day in the Western Cape mountains. We were cold, but satisfied and decided to head for Oudtshoorn, very proud of our find and ready to process the collections of the day. A visit to Mr Jan Vlok that evening burst our bubble. “No, this is not Oxylaena. It is Gibbaria scabra.” What a disappointment! It was hard to believe, as there was nothing else flowering in the area that even vaguely resembled the taxon. This had to be it—surely there was another explanation? We were not going to give up that easily. Shortly afterwards, one of us (Marinda Koekemoer) was fortunate to go on a trip to Geneva, sponsored by SABONET. An opportunity presented itself to investigate the type specimens when the NBI sponsored an extension of the trip to Kew. The most thrilling moment of this trip was when we established that Oxylaena acicularis and caulon marlothii, S. salmoniflorum, Cyphostemma bainsii, Boophane disticha, Pterodiscus aurantiacus, Anacampseros albissima, Commiphora dinteri, C. glaucescens, C. pyracanthoides, C. glandulosa, C. tenuipetiolata, C. saxicola, Sterculia africana, Myrothamnus flabellifolius and a fern. Should the various cuttings be successfully rooted and later planted out into the National Botanic Garden as planned, they will represent an attractive area of great interest to the public. Our thanks to SABONET for funding the trip! —Steve Carr SABONET Horticulturist Gibbaria scabra are in fact the same species. Botanists have been tricked all along: we have known the taxon, but under a different name! What remained was to establish the correct name and to publish the taxonomic treatment for the genus—a story for another day. We thank SABONET for sponsoring this trip. Thank you also to Katot and Ilse Meyer for their hospitality in providing accommodation and sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge generously, and to Mr Jan Vlok for sharing his expertise. While we are pleased that the mystery has been resolved, we are sad that the excitement and the camaraderie of the search are over! For accommodation in Oudtshoorn and information on the Burchell trail (or other exciting places around Oudtshoorn), contact: Katot & Ilse Meyer 192 Van Riebeeck Road Oudtshoorn, 6620 Tel.: (044) 272 5114 [email protected]. BENTHAM, G. 1876. Anaglypha acicularis. In Hooker’s Icones Plantarum II: 9, Pl. 1109. FOURCADE, H.G. 1944. Notes on Burchell’s Catalogus Geographicus, middle portion. The Journal of South African Botany 10: 145–149. GUNN, M. & CODD, L.E. 1981. Botanical exploration of southern Africa. Balkema, Cape Town. JOHNSTON, M. 2001. Burchell’s Oxwagon Route. South African 4x4, October 2001: 24– 30. —Marinda Koekemoer & Hester Steyn National Botanical Institute Pretoria SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 @@ @ Southern African Botanists’ E-mail Addresses The following list includes the e-mail addresses of staff working in some of the national/university herbaria, botany departments, botanical gardens, and biodiversity programmes of southern Africa. Thanks to all those who have sent their e-mail addresses to the editors for inclusion in this list. PLEASE NOTE that this list gets updated every issue of our newsletter. In order to avoid frustration and possible disappointment, our readers are advised to use the most recent list available. Some of the addresses listed in previous editions of the newsletter may no longer be relevant. @ Dr Moffat Setshogo: [email protected] LESOTHO Herbarium: National University of Lesotho (ROML) Mr Khotso Kobisi: [email protected] Ms Annah Moteetee: [email protected] (currently studying for a PhD at the Rand Afrikaans University) Ms Puleng Matebesi: [email protected] SPECIAL APPEAL: Should you be aware of any changes to one or more of the addresses listed below, or would like to be added to the list, please notify Elsabé Malan, at [email protected] so that the list can be updated on a regular basis. Katse Botanical Garden Mr Tau Mahlelebe: [email protected] ANGOLA University Botanic Garden Mr Moretloa Polaki: [email protected] Agostinho Neto University Dr Esperança Costa: [email protected] OR [email protected] OR [email protected] Dr Elissaveta Loutchanska: [email protected] Ms Liz Matos: [email protected] Ms Sonia Pereira: [email protected] BOTSWANA National Botanical Garden Mr Diphetogo Menyatso: [email protected] Mr Nonofo Mosesane: [email protected] National Herbarium (GAB) General address: [email protected] Peter Smith Herbarium (PSUB) Mr Bongani Sethebe: [email protected] University of Botswana Herbarium (UCBG) Mr Mbaki Muzila: [email protected] SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 National Environment Secretariat Mr Thulo Qhotsokoane: [email protected] MALAWI National Herbarium (MAL) and Botanic Gardens Prof. J.H. Seyani: [email protected] (currently on leave of absence at the Commonwealth Secretariat, London) Dr Augustine Chikuni: [email protected] Mr Dickson Kamundi: [email protected] Mr Bintony Kutsaira: [email protected] Mr Zacharia Magombo: [email protected] Ms Cecilia Nyirenda (nee Maliwichi): [email protected] Ms Elizabeth Mwafongo (nee Mayaka): [email protected] Mr Montfort Mwanyambo: [email protected] Ms Gladys Msekandiana: [email protected] Mr Jameston Kamwendo: [email protected] General NHBG address: [email protected] @ Medicinal plants: [email protected] National Botanic Gardens of Malawi Mr Mphamba Kumwenda: [email protected] MOZAMBIQUE LMA Herbarium Mr Mario da Silva: [email protected] Ms Samira Izidine: [email protected] OR [email protected] Ms Marta Manjate: [email protected] OR [email protected] LMU Herbarium: Eduardo Mondlane University Mr Salomão Bandeira: [email protected] Ms Filomena Barbosa: [email protected] Mr Domingos Manguengue: [email protected] Ms Carlota Quilambo: [email protected] Department of Biological Sciences: Eduardo Mondlane University John Hatton: [email protected] NAMIBIA National Botanical Research Institute Ms Patricia Craven: [email protected] Dr Gillian Maggs-Kölling: [email protected] General NBRI address: [email protected] National Herbarium (WIND) Ms Esmerialda Klaassen: [email protected] Ms Coleen Mannheimer: [email protected] National Botanic Garden Mr Tobias Angula: [email protected] Vegetation Survey Mr Ben Strohbach: [email protected] 121 National Plant Genetic Resources Centre Ms Herta Kolberg: [email protected] Namibian Tree Atlas Project Ms Barbara Curtis/Ms Coleen Mannheimer: [email protected] Polytechnic of Namibia Mr Dave Joubert: [email protected] SOUTH AFRICA ARC-Plant Protection Research Institute Mr Alan Wood: [email protected] Bolus Herbarium (BOL): University of Cape Town (includes Associated Staff) Mrs Anne Bean: [email protected] Dr Peter Bruyns: [email protected] Dr Cornelia Klak: [email protected] Prof. Anthony Hall: [email protected] Mr Steven Hammer: [email protected] Prof. Terry Hedderson: [email protected] Mr Terry Trinder-Smith: [email protected] Dr Tony Verboom: [email protected] Dr Graham Williamson: [email protected] Bolus Library: [email protected] Buffelskloof Private Nature Reserve & Herbarium Mr John Burrows: [email protected] Biotechnology & Environmental Specialist Consultancy cc. Dr M R R Logie [email protected] C.E. Moss Herbarium (J): University of the Witwatersrand Prof. Kevin Balkwill: [email protected] Ms Glynis Cron: [email protected] Mr Donald McCallum: [email protected] Mrs Reneé Reddy: [email protected] 122 Mr Ramagwai Sebola: [email protected] Coastal & Environmental Services Dr Ted Avis: [email protected] Compton Herbarium (NBG) Ms Pascale Chesselet: [email protected] Mr Christopher Cupido: [email protected] Dr Peter Goldblatt: [email protected] Dr Hubert Kurzweil: [email protected] Dr John Manning: [email protected] Ms Fatima Parker: [email protected] Dr Ted Oliver: [email protected] Dr John Rourke: [email protected] Dr Koos Roux: [email protected] Dr Dee Snijman: [email protected] Donald Killick Herbarium, KwaZuluNatal Nature Conservation Service Mr Rob Scott-Shaw: [email protected] Durban Botanic Gardens Mr Martin Clement: [email protected] Mr Christopher Dalzell (Curator): [email protected] Mr Barry Lang: [email protected] Eco Assessments General e-mails to Eco Assessments: [email protected] Mark Custers: [email protected] Christa Custers: [email protected] Donette Ross: [email protected] Hulisani Mukwevho: [email protected] Free State National Botanical Garden Mr Peter Gavhi (Curator): [email protected] When sending mail to a staff member at the Free State National Botanical Garden, insert the name of the person in the subject line. Gauteng Nature Conservation Ms Michele Pfab: [email protected] Harold Porter National Botanical Garden Ms Toni Shaide (Curator): [email protected] Herbarium Soutpansbergensis Mr Norbert Hahn: [email protected] Hermanus Herbarium Ms Priscilla Drewe: [email protected] Jonkershoek Herbarium Ms Melanie Simpson: [email protected] Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden Mr Ian Oliver (Curator): [email protected] OR [email protected] Kimberley McGregor (KMG) Museum Herbarium Ms Tania Anderson (Curator): [email protected] Ms Annemarie van Heerden: [email protected] Kimberley South African National Parks Herbarium (KSAN) Dr Hugo Bezuidenhout: [email protected] Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden Mr Graham Duncan: [email protected] Mr Philip le Roux (Curator): [email protected] Mr Ernst van Jaarsveld: [email protected] OR [email protected] (home) Kirstenbosch Research Centre Dr Neville Brown: [email protected] Mr J de Wet Bösenberg: [email protected] Dr John Donaldson: [email protected] Mr Barney Kgope: [email protected] Ms Boniswa Madikane: [email protected] Dr Guy Midgley: [email protected] Dr Charles Musil: [email protected] Ms Ingrid Nänni: [email protected] Mr Les Powrie: [email protected] Dr Tony Rebelo: [email protected] SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Dr Mike Rutherford: [email protected] Lowveld National Botanical Garden Mr Rudi Britz (Curator): [email protected] Mr Johan Hurter: [email protected] Mr Willem Froneman: [email protected] When sending mail to a staff member at the Lowveld National Botanical Garden, insert the name of the person in the subject line. Mpumalanga Parks Board: Lydenburg Ms Sonnette Krynauw: [email protected] Mr Mervyn Lotter: [email protected] Natal Herbarium (NH) Ms Hassina Aboobaker: [email protected] Dr Neil Crouch: [email protected] Ms Zoleka Dimon: [email protected] Mr Melusi Mazibuko: [email protected] Ms Meeta Nathoo: [email protected] Mr Alfred Ngwenya: [email protected] Ms Yashica Singh: [email protected] Ms Rosemary Williams (Curator): [email protected] Natal National Botanical Garden Mr Brian Tarr (Curator): [email protected] Mr John Roff: [email protected] National Botanical Institute Prof. Brian Huntley: [email protected] (CEO) Prof. Gideon Smith: [email protected] (Director: Research & Scientific Services) Mr Christopher Willis: [email protected] (Director: Gardens & Horticultural Services) Dr Maureen Wolfson: [email protected] (DeputyDirector: Research & Education) National Herbarium (PRE) Dr John Anderson: [email protected] Ms Clare Archer: [email protected] Dr Robert Archer: [email protected] SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Mr Trevor Arnold: [email protected] Ms Antoinette Botha: [email protected] Dr Christien Bredenkamp: [email protected] Ms Priscilla Burgoyne: [email protected] Ms Carole de Wet: [email protected] Ms Emsie du Plessis: [email protected] Ms Lyn Fish: [email protected] Mr Gerrit Germishuizen: [email protected] Dr Hugh Glen: [email protected] Ms René Glen: [email protected] Ms Janice Golding: [email protected] Mr Hans Heilgendorf: [email protected] Ms Lesley Henderson: [email protected] Mr Paul Herman: [email protected] Ms Marie Jordaan: [email protected] Dr Marinda Koekemoer (Curator): [email protected] Ms Louisa Liebenberg: [email protected] Mr Cuthbert Makgakga: [email protected] Ms Alice Masombuka: [email protected] Mr Jean Meyer: [email protected] Ms Beverley Momberg: [email protected] Dr Sarie Perold: [email protected] Ms Julie Ready: [email protected] Ms Elizabeth Retief: [email protected] Mr Paulus Sebothoma: [email protected] Ms Shirley Smithies: [email protected] Ms Hannelie Snyman: [email protected] Ms Christina Steyn: [email protected] Dr Elsie Steyn: [email protected] Dr Jacques van Rooy: [email protected] Ms Helen van Rooyen: [email protected] Ms Janine Victor: [email protected] Ms Mienkie Welman: [email protected] NBI Libraries: Mary Gunn Library: [email protected] Librarian, Mary Gunn Library (Ms Estelle Potgieter), National Herbarium: [email protected] Librarian, Kirstenbosch (Ms Yvonne Reynolds): [email protected] National Museum Bloemfontein: Dr Ziets Zietsman: [email protected] Peninsula Technikon: Department of Biological Sciences Mr JC Coetzee: [email protected] Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology: Tierberg Karoo Research Centre field station Dr Sue Milton: [email protected] Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Agricultural Research Council Dr Roger Ellis: [email protected] Potchefstroom University Dr Matt Buys: [email protected] Prof. Sarel Cilliers: [email protected] Prof. Braam Pieterse: [email protected] PRECIS [email protected] Pretoria National Botanical Garden Ms Karin Behr (Curator): [email protected] General: [email protected] Qwa Qwa Herbarium: University of the Free State (Qwa Qwa Campus) Prof. Rodney Moffett: [email protected] Qwa Qwa Herbarium: University of the Free State (Qwa Qwa Campus) Prof. Laco (Ladislav) Mucina: [email protected] Rand Afrikaans University: Botany Department Dr Patricia Tilney: [email protected] Prof. Herman van der Bank: [email protected] Prof. Ben-Erik van Wyk: [email protected] 123 Range and Forage Institute, Agricultural Research Council Dr Kathy Immelman: [email protected] Rhodes University: Botany Department Dr Nigel Barker: [email protected] Prof. CEJ Botha: [email protected] Prof. Roy Lubke: [email protected] Dr Brad Ripley: [email protected] Rondevlei Scientific Services Herbarium, Wilderness National Park, Sedgefield Dr Nick Hanekom: [email protected] Dr Ian Russell: [email protected] Ms Beate Sachse: [email protected] Saasveld Herbarium (SAAS): Port Elizabeth Technikon Mr Mike Cameron: [email protected] Mr Peet Peens (Curator): [email protected] H.G.W.J Schweickerdt Herbarium (PRU): University of Pretoria Prof. Braam van Wyk: [email protected] Scientific Services Herbarium, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Knysna Mr Johan Baard (Curator): [email protected] Mr Rynhard Kok: [email protected] Selmar Schonland Herbarium, Grahamstown Ms Estelle Brink: [email protected] Mr Tony Dold: [email protected] Skukuza Herbarium (KNP), Kruger National Park Ms Guin Zambatis (Curator): [email protected] Mr Nick Zambatis: [email protected] Southern Cape Herbarium Yvette van Wijk: [email protected] OR [email protected] 124 Technikon Pretoria Herbarium Cecilia de Ridder: [email protected] Dawid du Plessis (Curator): [email protected] Umtamvuna Herbarium, Umtamvuna Nature Reserve Mr Tony Abbott: [email protected] University of Cape Town: Botany Department Prof. John Bolton: [email protected] Prof. William Bond: [email protected] Dr Jeremy Midgley: [email protected] Prof. Willie Stock: [email protected] University of Cape Town: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Prof. Jill Farrant: [email protected] Dr Brigitte Hamman: [email protected] University of Cape Town: Institute for Plant Conservation Dr Dave Richardson: [email protected] University of Durban-Westville: Botany Department Prof. Snowy Baijnath: [email protected] Prof. AD Barnabas: [email protected] Prof. G Naidoo: [email protected] Dr Ashley Nicholas: [email protected] Mr Pravin Poorun: [email protected] Dr Francois Smith: [email protected] University of Natal-Durban: Biological Sciences Department Prof. Alan Amory: [email protected] Prof. Patricia Berjak: [email protected] Dr Glen Campbell: [email protected] Prof. John Cooke: [email protected] Mr Bruce Page: [email protected] Prof. Norman Pammenter: [email protected] Mr Herbert Sibiya: [email protected] Mr Dehn von Ahlefeldt: [email protected] Dr Paula Watt: [email protected] University of Natal-Durban: Electron Microscope Unit, George Campbell Building Mr James Wesley-Smith: [email protected] University of NatalPietermaritzburg: School of Botany & Zoology Ms Angela Beaumont: [email protected] Dr RP Beckett: [email protected] Mr Clinton Carbutt: [email protected] Dr TJ Edwards: [email protected] Ms CW Fennell: [email protected] Dr JF Finnie: [email protected] Dr JE Granger: [email protected] Prof. EF Hennessy: [email protected] Dr Steven D Johnson: [email protected] Ms NP Makunga: [email protected] Ms Christina Potgieter: [email protected] Dr MT Smith: [email protected] Prof. Hannes van Staden: [email protected] University of the North: Botany Department Mr Martin Potgieter: [email protected] Mr Pieter Winter: [email protected] University of the Free State: Department of Botany and Genetics Dr Andor Venter: [email protected] Prof. Johan Venter: [email protected] Prof. RL Verhoeven: [email protected] University of Port Elizabeth: Botany Department Dr JB Adams: [email protected] Prof. Guy C Bate: [email protected] Dr EE Campbell: [email protected] Dr DR du Preez: [email protected] Mr PT Gama: SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 [email protected] University of Pretoria: Botany Department Prof. George Bredenkamp: [email protected] Prof. Marion Meyer: [email protected] Ms Franci Siebert: [email protected] Dr Veldie van Greuning: [email protected] Prof. Gretel van Rooyen: [email protected] University of Pretoria: Pharmacology Department Prof. JN Eloff: [email protected] University of Stellenbosch: Botany Department Dr Charlie Boucher: [email protected] Dr Leanne Dreyer: [email protected] Dr Karen Esler: [email protected] Ms Lynn Hoffmann: [email protected] Dr Bettie Marais: [email protected] Prof. Valdon Smith: [email protected] Dr Piet Vorster: [email protected] University of Stellenbosch: Biochemistry Department Mr Benny Bytebier: [email protected] University of Stellenbosch: Botanic Garden Mr Piet van der Merwe: [email protected] University of the Transkei: Botany Department Prof. R Bhat: [email protected] Dr Sizwe Cawe: [email protected] RV Nikolova: [email protected] University of North-West: Biological Sciences Department Mr David Phalatse: [email protected] University of Venda: Botany Department Mr Maanda Ligavha: ligavham/[email protected] Ms Colleen Todd: SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 todd_colleen/[email protected] Mr Robert Tshivhandekano: robie/[email protected] Prof. Pablo Weisser: pablo/[email protected] Independent Ms Linda Dobson: [email protected] ZAMBIA University of the Western Cape: Botany Department Dr Derek Keats: [email protected] Dr Richard Knight: [email protected] Lincoln M Raitt: [email protected] Mr Frans Weitz: [email protected] University of the Western Cape: Department of Biotechnology Dr Gwen Koning: [email protected] University of the Witwatersrand: Department of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences Prof. Ed Witkowski: [email protected] University of Zululand: Department of Botany Prof. Daan Ferreira: [email protected] Ms Heleen de Wet: [email protected] Dr Stefan Siebert: [email protected] Dr Alpheus Zobolo: [email protected] Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden Ms Sharon Turner (Curator): [email protected] Mr Andrew Hankey: [email protected] General WNBG address: [email protected] Insert the name of the staff member you wish to contact in the subject line. Forestry Herbarium (NDO) Mrs EN Chupa: [email protected] Noah Zimba: [email protected] Herbarium (UZL): University of Zambia Ms Tasila Banda-Sakala (currently studying at the Arizona State University, Phoenix, USA): [email protected] OR [email protected] OR [email protected] Mr David Chuba: [email protected] OR [email protected] Dr Patrick Phiri: [email protected] OR [email protected] Munda Wanga Trust (Botanical Garden) Mr Douglas Gibbs: [email protected] Independent Mr Mike Bingham: [email protected] Mr Ernest Gondwe: [email protected] Ms Florence Nyirenda: [email protected] ZIMBABWE Bindura University of Science Education Mr Alfred Maroyi: [email protected] Biodiversity Foundation for Africa Mr Jonathan Timberlake: [email protected] SWAZILAND National Herbarium (SDNH) Mr Titus Dlamini (Curator): [email protected] This address can also be used to contact Gideon Dlamini and Bongani Dlamini at the National Herbarium. Insert the name of the person in the subject line. Department of Biological Sciences: University of Swaziland Dr Ara Monadjem: [email protected] Ewanrigg Botanic Garden Mr Onias Ndoro: [email protected] National Herbarium (SRGH) & Botanic Garden Mr Ezekeil Kwembeya: [email protected] Mr Claid Mujaju: [email protected] Ms Nozipo Nobanda: [email protected] Mr Soul Shava: 125 [email protected] Ms Ratidzayi (Rattie) Takawira: [email protected] (also available through SRGH address) General SRGH address: [email protected] TEAM VUMBA: The Environmental Association for Management of Vumba’s Unique Mountain Biodiversity Areas Dr Colin Saunders: [email protected] University of Zimbabwe: Department of Biological Sciences Dr Shakkie Kativu: [email protected] Dr Clemence Zimudzi: [email protected] University of Zimbabwe: Institute of Environmental Studies Prof. Peter GH Frost: [email protected] Vumba Botanic Garden Mr John Mapanga: [email protected] Independent Mr Mark Hyde: [email protected] Mr Michael Kimberley: [email protected] Ms Meg Coates Palgrave: [email protected] Mr Darrel CH Plowes: [email protected] Mr Rob M Plowes: [email protected] Dr Fay Robertson: [email protected] Ms Cathy Sharp: [email protected] Botanists Working on Southern African Plant Taxa This section lists e-mail addresses of a few of the botanists living outside southern Africa that are working with southern African plant taxa. If you would like to be included in this list, please notify one of the editors together with the names of the families/taxa you are working on. @@ 126 AUSTRALIA Queensland Herbarium, Toowong, Queensland Bryan Simon: [email protected] (w) OR [email protected] (h) (Tropical grasses) Paul Forster: [email protected] (w) OR [email protected] (h) (Asphodelaceae, Alooideae) Dr Brian Schrire: [email protected] (Fabaceae, Rhamnaceae) Dr Kaj Vollesen: [email protected] (Acanthaceae: Blepharis, Duosperma) Independent Mrs Nikaya Govender: [email protected] (Amaryllidaceae, Liliaceae, Gentianaceae) ENGLAND FRANCE IUCN: World Conservation Union Craig Hilton-Taylor: [email protected] Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris Mr Peter Phillipson: [email protected] National History Museum, London George Lawson: [email protected] (Algae) Brian O’Shea: [email protected] (Bryophytes) Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Diane Bridson: [email protected] (Rubiaceae, Vahliaceae) Dr Dick Brummitt: [email protected] Dr Thomas Cope: [email protected] (Poaceae) Dr Phillip Cribb: [email protected] (Orchidaceae) Dr David Goyder: [email protected] (Asclepiadaceae, Fabaceae) Ms Yvette Harvey: [email protected] (Capparaceae, Lamiaceae, Sapotaceae) Dr Michael Lock: [email protected] (Fabaceae, Xyridaceae, Zingiberaceae) Dr Alan Paton: [email protected] (Lamiaceae, Verbenaceae) Dr Sylvia Phillips: [email protected] (Eriocaulaceae, Poaceae) Dr Gerald Pope: [email protected] (Asteraceae) @ GERMANY Friedrich-Schiller University, Jena Dr Norbert Zimmermann: [email protected] (Euphorbiaceae, Mesembryanthemaceae) Hamburg University: Botanical Institute & Garden Prof. Dr HEK Hartmann: [email protected] (Aizoaceae, Mesembryanthema) Dr Pia Parolin: [email protected] (desert ecology, ecophysiology) Dr Joachim Thiede: [email protected] (Aizoaceae, Crassulaceae) University of Bayreuth Prof. Sigrid Liede: [email protected] (Asclepiadaceae, Mesembryanthemaceae) Dr Ulrich Meve: [email protected] (Asclepiadaceae) NETHERLANDS Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University Ir Ben Groen: [email protected] (Asphodelaceae, Mesembryanthemaceae) @ @ SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 Mr J.Folkert Aleva: [email protected] Prof. Dr LJG van der Maesen: [email protected] (Fabaceae, Mesembryanthemaceae) Dr Ir Jan Wieringa: Herbarium Vadense (WAG) [email protected] (Fabaceae, Aphanocalyx, Bikinia, Icuria, Monopetalanthus and Tetraberlinia) SWEDEN NEW ZEALAND Uppsala University Prof. Kåre Bremer: [email protected] (Asteraceae) Mr Mattias Iwarsson: [email protected] (Lamiaceae, Leonotis) Victoria University, Wellington Mr Fanie Venter: [email protected] Swedish Museum of Natural History Dr Mari Kallersjo: [email protected] (Asteraceae, Myrsinaceae, Primulaceae) Prof. Bertil Nordenstam: [email protected] (Compositae, especially Senecioneae and Calenduleae, Syncarpha, Colchicaceae: Anticharis) NORWAY Agricultural University of Norway: Department of Biology and Nature Conservation Prof. Kåre Lye: [email protected] (Cyperaceae) Botanical Garden, University of Oslo, Blindern Prof. Brita Stedje: [email protected] (Anthericaceae, Asphodelaceae, Hyacinthaceae) Botanical Institute, The Norwegian Arboretum, University of Bergen, Hjellestad Dr Cornelis Berg: [email protected] (Moraceae, Ulmaceae) Iowa State University: Department of Botany (Ada Hayden Herbarium) Prof. Robert Wallace: [email protected] (Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Aizoaceae s.l., Aloaceae/ Asphodelaceae, Cactaceae, Didiereaceae, Nyctaginaceae, Phytolaccaceae, Portulacaceae) University of California: Jepson Herbarium Bruce Baldwin: [email protected] (Asteraceae: Blepharispermum, Welwitschiella) SWITZERLAND Institute for Systematic Botany, University of Zürich Prof. Christopher Cook: [email protected] OR [email protected] (Hydrocharitaceae, Limnocharitaceae, Lythraceae, Podostemaceae, Pontederiaceae) Prof. Peter Linder: [email protected] (Restionaceae, Poaceae) Juerg Schoenenberger: [email protected] (Penaeceae, Oliniaceae, Rhynchocalycaceae) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Arkansas State University: Beebe Prof. Stephen Manning: [email protected] SCOTLAND Bishop Museum (Department of Natural Sciences): Hawaii Dr George Staples: [email protected] (Convolvulaceae) University of Missouri-Columbia: Dunn-Palmer Herbarium (UMO) Dr Leszek Vincent: [email protected] (Asteraceae: Senecio, Iridaceae: Aristea) Independent Mrs Mary Wilkins & Mr Anthon Ellert: [email protected] WALES National Botanic Garden of Wales Dr Charles Stirton: [email protected] (Fabaceae, Hyacinthaceae, Rosaceae, Verbenaceae) Last updated October 2003 Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh Dr Mary Gibby: [email protected] (Geraniaceae) In the March 2004 edition of SABONET News... Special Edition: Threatened Plants Programme Remember to send us your submissions before 29 February 2004! SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004 127 About SABONET This publication is a product of the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network (SABONET), a programme aimed at strengthening the level of botanical expertise, expanding and improving herbarium and botanic garden collections, and fostering closer collaborative links among botanists in the southern African subcontinent. The main objective of SABONET is to develop a strong core of professional botanists, taxonomists, horticulturists, and plant diversity specialists within the ten countries of southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe). This core group will be competent to inventory, monitor, evaluate, and conserve the botanical diversity of the region in the face of specific development challenges, and to respond to the technical and scientific needs of the Convention on Biological Diversity. To enhance the human resource capacity and infrastructure available in the region, SABONET offers training courses, workshops, and collaborative expeditions in under-collected areas. The programme produces a series of occasional publications, the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report Series, and a newsletter, SABONET News. SABONET is co-funded by: • The United States Agency for International Development (USAID/World Conservation Union—Regional Office for southern Africa (IUCN-ROSA) • The Global Environment Facility (GEF)/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) For more information about our projects in southern Africa contact one of the following addresses: General enquiries about SABONET SABONET Coordinator c/o National Botanical Institute Private Bag X101 Pretoria 0001 South Africa Tel: (27) 12 804 3200 Fax: (27) 12 804 3211/5979 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.sabonet.org ANGOLA Luanda Herbarium (Prof. Esparança Costa) Universidade Agostinho Neto Rua Fernando Pessoa No. 103 Villa Alice Caixa Postal 3244 Tel: (244) 2 336 168 Fax: (244) 2 336 168 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] BOTSWANA National Herbarium (Mr Nonofo Mosesane) National Museums, Monuments and Art Gallery c/o Mobuto Drive & Notwane Road Private Bag 00114 Gaborone Tel: (267) 373860/374616 Fax: (267) 311186/302797 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] LESOTHO National Environment Secretariat (Mr Thulo Qhotsokoane) Ministry of Environment 6th Floor, Development House Private Bag A23 Maseru 100 Tel: (266) 311 767 Fax: (266) 310 506/321505 E-mail: [email protected] 128 MALAWI National Herbarium and Botanic Gardens of Malawi (Dr Zacharia Magambo) c/o Livingstone & old Naisi Road P.O. Box 528 Zomba Tel: (265) 525 388/118/145 Fax: (265) 524164/108 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] MOZAMBIQUE LMA Herbarium (Mr Calane da Silva) Instituto Nacional de Investigaçáo Agronómica Departamento de Botânica Avenida das Forças Populares Caixa Postal 3658 Mavalane Maputo Tel: (258) 1 460 255/130/190/097/149 Fax: (258) 1 460 074 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] NAMIBIA National Herbarium (Dr Gillian Maggs-Kölling) National Botanical Research Institute Orban Street Private Bag 13184 Windhoek Tel: (264) 61 202 2020 Fax: (264) 61 258 153 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] SOUTH AFRICA National Herbarium (Prof. Gideon Smith) National Botanical Institute 2 Cussonia Avenue Brummeria Private Bag X101 Pretoria 0001 Tel: (27) 12 804 3200 Fax: (27) 12 804 3211/5343 E-mail: [email protected] SWAZILAND National Herbarium (Mr Gideon Dlamini) Malkerns Agricultural Research Station P.O. Box 4 Malkerns Tel: (268) 52 82111/83017/83038 Fax: (268) 52 83360/83490 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] ZAMBIA Herbarium (Dr Patrick Phiri) Department of Biological Sciences University of Zambia P.O. Box 32379 Lusaka Tel: (260) 1 293 158 Fax: (260) 1 294806/253952 E-mail: [email protected] ZIMBABWE National Herbarium and Botanic Garden (Ms Nozipo Nobanda) P.O Box A889 Avondale Harare Tel: (263) 4 708 938/744170/745230 Fax: (263) 4 708 938 E-mail: [email protected] SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 2 January 2004