This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(June 2019) |
Van Stadens River Wild Flower Reserve | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 33°54′28″S25°12′36″E / 33.9077°S 25.2100°E Coordinates: 33°54′28″S25°12′36″E / 33.9077°S 25.2100°E |
Area | 500 hectares |
Established |
|
Website | nmbt |
The Van Stadens River Wild Flower Reserve (Afrikaans : Van Stadens-veldblomreservaat) near Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa, is one of the oldest nature reserves in the country. [1]
The park covers 600 hectares and lies 40 km west of Port Elizabeth, on an old stretch at the top of Van Stadens Pass. The Van Stadens River forms the western border, the N2 road runs through the area, and from here one has a good view of the gorge of the River, the Van Stadens Bridge, and northeast toward the Lady Slipper Trail. The reserve was founded in 1951 and is owned by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
The main purpose of the reserve is to grow unique, indigenous plants, but it is also used as a centre for environmental education. A traditional Xhosa hut, household articles, and a kraal with farm equipment give insight into Xhosa culture. There is also an arboretum and a plant nursery there. Walking, hiking, and mountain biking trails as well as picnic areas are available.
Cape fynbos is the natural biome here. Many species of proteas, orchids, and Erica can be found, as well as succulent plants and rare cycads. The lily Cyrtanthus stadensis is endemic to the park. Among the 60 species of trees found here is the rare Cape wing-nut ( Atalaya capensis ), only growing here, in the surrounding mountains, and near Suurberg Pass. There is also a large grove of Cape chestnut, Colodendrum capense . Notable fauna include the threatened Cape dwarf chameleon and certain species of frog. 170 species of birds have been spotted here.
The park is generally held to contain the southernmost rock art in Africa.
The Cape Flats is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. The Cape Flats is also the name of an administrative region of the City of Cape Town, which lies within the larger geographical area.
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
Gqeberha, also known by its former name Port Elizabeth and widely referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa's second-smallest metropolitan municipality by area. It is the sixth-most populous city in South Africa and is the cultural, economic and financial centre of the Eastern Cape.
King William's Town, officially known as Qonce, is a city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River. The city is about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of the Indian Ocean port of East London. It has a population of around 35,000 inhabitants and forms part of the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.
Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on 29 May 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation. The park is managed by South African National Parks. The property is included as part of the UNESCO Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site.
Hogsback is a village in the Amathole Mountains in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
Helderberg refers to a planning district of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality, the mountain after which it is named, a wine-producing area in the Western Cape province of South Africa, or a small census area in Somerset West.
Bontebok National Park is a species-specific national park in South Africa. It was established in 1931 to ensure the preservation of the Bontebok. It is the smallest of South Africa's 18 National Parks, covering an area of 27.86 km2 The park is part of the Cape Floristic Region, which is a World Heritage Site.
Van Stadens River is a river in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The river mouth is located about 30 km west of Port Elizabeth.
Mpofu Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in the Amatole district of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa that is managed by Eastern Cape Parks.
Renosterveld is a term used for one of the major plant communities and vegetation types of the Cape Floristic Region which is located in southwestern and southeastern South Africa, in southernmost Africa. It is an ecoregion of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
Van Stadens Pass is situated in the Eastern Cape, province of South Africa, on the R102 regional route, between Port Elizabeth and Humansdorp. It is a passage through the gorge of the Van Stadens River.
Areas of forest which grow in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa mostly on south facing slopes in higher rainfall areas, and along the humid coastal areas. Different types of forest can be identified by their species composition which depends mostly on the altitude, latitude and substrate in which they grow. South facing slopes are favourable for the development of forest as they are more shaded, and therefore cooler and retain more moisture than the northern slopes. The extra moisture on the south slopes is not only favoured by forest trees, but also helps to prevent or subdue wildfires. Fires can also be blocked by cliff faces and rocks or boulders on these slopes, and by streams or rivers at the base of the slopes. The coastal regions are conducive to forest formation, because of high rainfall and humidity which are favoured by forest trees and also help to prevent or subdue fires. The rivers of the coastal areas are also broader than further inland, which may often prevent fires from spreading long distances, and fires generally burn uphill and therefore more often away from areas at low altitude.
Aloiampelos tenuior, formerly Aloe tenuior, the fence aloe, is a bushy, multi-branched succulent plant from the grasslands and thickets of the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu Natal and Mpumalanga, South Africa. Its preferred habitat is sandy soils in open country, unlike many of its relatives that favour thicket vegetation. It is one of the most profusely flowering of all aloes and their relatives.
Aloiampelos gracilis, formerly Aloe gracilis, the rocket aloe, is a succulent plant, endemic to dry thicket vegetation around the city of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Its natural range lies just to the west of the related Aloiampelos ciliaris, and it occurs in bushy fynbos and dry thickets, and clustered on rocky outcrops at all altitudes. Its range extends westwards into the Baviaanskloof mountains.
The Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, conserves 668 ha of the Molweni and Nkutu River gorges that incise the sandstone Kloof plateau in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The reserve conserves coastal scarp forest, sourveld grassland, a cliff face biotope, and aquatic environments along its rivers. Scarp forest is a threatened forest type, protected by South Africa's forests act of 1998, while the grassland is classified as KwaZulu-Natal sandstone sourveld, the most threatened terrestrial habitat in the Durban metropole. The reserve was established in 1950 and was augmented by land donations as late as 1999.
Protea effusa, sometimes known as the scarlet sugarbush, is a flowering plant which belongs to the genus Protea. The plant is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa. In the Afrikaans language the vernacular name blosrooisuikerbos has been recorded for this plant.
Protea angustata, also known as the Kleinmond sugarbush, is a flowering shrub that belongs to the genus Protea. This plant is endemic to the south-west Cape Region of South Africa.
Protea pityphylla, also known as Ceres sugarbush or mountain rose, is a flowering shrub of the genus Protea, in the family Proteaceae. The plant is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa.
Euryops ursinoides is a highly endemic and vulnerable species from South Africa. It is in the daisy family.