South African Journal of Botany 72 (2006) 205 – 210 www.elsevier.com/locate/sajb The endemic flora of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa N.A. Helme a,*, T.H. Trinder-Smith b a Nick Helme Botanical Surveys, PO Box 22652, Scarborough 7975, South Africa b Bolus Herbarium, Department of Botany, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa Received 27 June 2005; accepted 13 July 2005 Abstract The Cape Peninsula is a well known area of exceptional plant diversity and endemism within the Cape Floristic Region, but an accurate and complete listing of the endemic seed plant species has been lacking. Here, we present a list of the 158 species and 3 subspecies that are currently regarded as Cape Peninsula endemics, with discussion on the profile of the endemic flora, plant hotspots within the area, and conservation issues. Endemics constitute 7% of the total Peninsula flora. 76% of the endemic species fall within only 10 families, with Erica being the genus with the greatest number of endemic species on the Peninsula (39). The Peninsula is identified as a centre of endemism for Roella, Tetraria, Serruria, and Muraltia. Many families are notably under-represented in terms of endemic species on the Peninsula, including Geraniaceae, Oxalidaceae, Thymelaeaceae, Apiaceae, Hyacinthaceae, Poaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rutaceae, Orchidaceae, and Asteraceae. 62% of the endemics are shrubs or dwarf shrubs. 41% of the endemics are currently Red Data Book listed, but the Table Mountain National Park conserves a large percentage of the montane habitat, as well as significant lowland habitat in the extreme south. D 2005 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. Keywords: South Africa; Cape Peninsula; Cape floristic region; Endemics; Floristics; Phytogeography; Plant diversity 1. Introduction Muizenberg, and thus includes a small part of the western edge of the area known as the Cape Flats (Fig. 1). The area is The Cape Peninsula is a well-known area of exceptional defined by the presence of the Cape Peninsula mountain chain, plant diversity and endemism (Trinder-Smith et al., 1996a; extending from Signal Hill and Lion’s Head in the north to Pauw and Johnson, 1999) within the southwestern core of the Cape Point in the south. The total land area is approximately Cape Floristic Region (CFR) of southern Africa. The CFR is an 471 km2 (47 100 ha), and some 24000 ha is now formally or area of high species diversity and endemism (Van Wyk and contractually conserved within the Table Mountain National Smith, 2001), and the area experiences winter rain and summer Park, which includes 80% of the actual mountain chain. drought, except at high elevations. Trinder-Smith et al. Studies of this nature are complicated by ongoing taxo- (1996a,b) concluded that a total of 90 taxa (including two nomic studies, especially in the genera Erica and Cliffortia, infra-specific taxa) could be regarded as Cape Peninsula and in the family Aizoaceae, and taxonomy largely follows endemics and analysed the makeup of this flora in terms of Goldblatt and Manning (2000), with reference to specialists its threat status, life form, and various biological traits where appropriate. (resprouting vs. reseeding, seed dispersal), but did not publish Currently about 2285 vascular plant species are known to be the list of taxa concerned. Here we present an updated and indigenous to the Cape Peninsula (Trinder-Smith et al., 1996a), significantly enlarged list of the endemic angiosperm flora of which is in itself a remarkable statistic, as it means that the the Cape Peninsula (algae, ferns, and mosses are thus excluded Peninsula has the greatest concentration of plant species (per from this list). No gymnosperms are endemic to this area. unit area) within the CFR (Trinder-Smith et al., 1996a,b). Our For purposes of our study the Cape Peninsula is defined as revised analysis shows that 158 species (plus 3 subspecies) are the area west of a line connecting Paarden Island to endemic (Table 1), which is 7.0% of the total flora. This figure is high for a continental landmass (Davis et al., 1997), but is * Corresponding author. substantially exceeded by many island floras, such as Juan E-mail address: [email protected] (N.A. Helme). Fernandez, some 600 km west of Chile at 33- south, with 127 0254-6299/$ - see front matter D 2005 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2005.07.004 206 N.A. Helme, T.H. Trinder-Smith / South African Journal of Botany 72 (2006) 205–210 0.400.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 2.4 2.8 3.2 3.6 4.0 4.4 4.8 5.2 5.6 6.0 6.4 6.8 7.2 7.6 8.0 8.4 8.8 9.2 9.6 Kilometer s N Milnerton Lagoon Green Point # # Paarde ne iland Signal Hill $ Cape Town Sea Point # City Bowl $ Lion's Head Camps Bay # $ Devil's Peak # Rondebosch Ta ble Mo Common untain s le st o p A e lv e w T e Kenilworth h T Racecourse # 34° 00’ S Llandudno Bay # $ Vlakkenberg $ Skoorsteenkop $ Karbonkelberg # Hout Bay # Retreat Hangberg $ Constantiaberg $ Noordhoek Peak St P ee la nb ##Lakeside te er Sandvlei $ Chapman's Peak au g $ HoÎr -Steenbergpiek Kalk Bay $ Muizenberg Peak Plateau Chapman's Bay $ Kalkbaaiberg # Muizenberg # Kalk Bay # Fishhoek Kommetjie # $ 15’ E Rooikrans ° 30’ E ° 18 $ Slangkop 18 # Simon's Town $ Simonsberg K lav Va er lle y $ Swartkop $ Klaasjagersberg # Miller's Point 34° 15’ S $ Wolfkop # Olifantsbos Smitswinkel Bay $ Rooihoogte CAPE OF GOOD HOPE NATURE RESERVE $ Paulsberg >1000m 800 - 1000m 600 - 800m 400 - 600m 200 - 400m Vasco da Gama Peak 100m $ 40m # Cape Point Fig. 1. Map of the study area, indicating topography and some of the key areas mentioned in the text. N.A. Helme, T.H. Trinder-Smith / South African Journal of Botany 72 (2006) 205–210 207 Table 1 Table 1 (continued) List of the 161 endemic Angiosperm taxa of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa Family Species Notes Family Species Notes Ericaceae Erica fontana Aizoaceae Erepsia forficata Erica haematocodon Lampranthus multiradiatus Erica halicacaba Lampranthus promontorii Erica heleogena Lampranthus tenuifolius Erica limosa Ruschia rubricaulis Erica margaritacea Ruschia promontorii Erica marifolia Amaryllidaceae Gethyllis kaapensis Erica mollis Asphodelaceae Aloe commixta Erica nevillei Asteraceae Anaxeton arborescens Erica oxycoccifolia Cotula myriophylloides Erica paludicola Gerbera wrightii Erica physodes Helichrysum fruticans Erica pilulifera Helichrysum grandiflorum Erica planifolia Metalasia compacta Erica pyramidalis Extinct Metalasia divergens ssp. fusca Erica pyxidiflora Osmitopsis dentata Erica quadrisulcata Stoebe rosea Erica salteri Senecio verbascifolius Erica sociorum Brassicaceae Heliophila cinerea Erica subcapitata Heliophila promontorii Erica thimifolia Heliophila tabularis Probably extinct Erica turgida Lepidium capense Probably extinct; Erica urna-viridis possibly not a Erica velitaris Probably a hybrid distinct species Erica verticillata Extinct in the wild Bruniaceae Staavia dodii Fabaceae Aspalathus barbata Staavia glutinosa Aspalathus borboniifolia Campanulaceae Lobelia boivinii Aspalathus capensis Lobelia eckloniana Aspalathus capitata Prismatocarpus nitidus Aspalathus chenopoda ssp. chenopoda Roella amplexicaulis Aspalathus incurva Roella decurrens Aspalathus variegata Extinct Roella goodiana Cyclopia galioides Roella recurvata Cyclopia latifolia Roella squarrosa Indigofera candolleana Roella triflora Indigofera complanata Wahlenbergia pyrophila Indigofera filiformis Colchicaceae Wurmbea hiemalis Indigofera mauritanica Cyperaceae Eleocharis lepta Extinct Indigofera sp. nov. aff gracilis Ficinia anceps Lebeckia macowanii Probably extinct Ficinia fastigiata Liparia graminifolia Extinct Ficinia micrantha Liparia parva Isolepis pusilla Liparia laevigata Isolepis bulbiferus Psoralea glaucina Tetraria autumnalis Hyacinthaceae Lachenalia capensis Tetraria graminifolia Iridaceae Aristea pauciflora Tetraria paludosa Bobartia gladiata ssp. major Tetraria variabilis Geissorhiza bonaspei Trianoptiles solitaria Geissorhiza tabularis Dipsacaceae Scabiosa africana Gladiolus aureus Droseraceae Drosera cuneifolia Gladiolus bonaspei Ericaceae Erica abietina Gladiolus monticola Erica amoena Gladiolus vigilans Erica annectens Moraea aristata Erica baccans Watsonia tabularis Erica capensis Malvaceae Hermannia micrantha Erica caterviflora Probably extinct Menyanthaceae Villarsia goldblattiana Erica clavisepala Molluginaceae Hypertelis trachysperma Erica conica Myricaceae Morella diversifolia Erica cyrilliflora Orchidaceae Disa ecalcarata Erica depressa Disa nubigena Erica diosmifolia Pterygodium connivens Erica eburnea Penaeaceae Brachysiphon fucatus Erica empetrina Poaceae Helictotrichon quinquesetum Probably extinct Erica fairii (continued on next page) 208 N.A. Helme, T.H. Trinder-Smith / South African Journal of Botany 72 (2006) 205–210 Table 1 (continued) Table 2 Family Species Notes Ten largest families of Cape Peninsula endemics Family Number of endemic species Polygalaceae Muraltia curvipetala Muraltia demissa Ericaceae 39 Muraltia acipetala Fabaceae 19 Muraltia brachypetala Cyperaceae 11 Muraltia comptonii Asteraceae 10 Muraltia diabolica Campanulaceae 10 Muraltia mixta Iridaceae 10 Muraltia orbicularis Polygalaceae 10 Muraltia pageae Proteaceae 10 Muraltia stipulacea Restionaceae 7 Proteaceae Leucadendron floridum Aizoaceae 6 Leucadendron macowanii Leucadendron grandiflorum Extinct Leucadendron strobilinum families are notably under-represented in terms of endemic Mimetes fimbriifolius species on the Peninsula, including Geraniaceae (155/33/0), Serruria decumbens Serruria collina Oxalidaceae (120/33/0), Thymelaeaceae