Academic literature on the topic 'Wild flowers – KwaZulu-Natal'

Abstract. Mncwango NC, Mavengahama S, Ntuli NR, van Jaarsveld CM. 2020. Diversity, consumption dynamics and ethnomedical claims of traditional leafy vegetables consumed by a rural community in the KwaMbonambi area, northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Biodiversitas 21: 1196-1202. Traditional leafy vegetables (TLVs) are mostly wild and informally-domesticated edible plant species. Their nutritious leaves, shoot tips, flowers and fruits are consumed as vegetables, particularly by rural communities in Africa. However, their consumption and cultivation are still marginal. This study aimed to identify the most preferred TLVs, as well as factors that affect the consumption and cultivation of these species. A questionnaire was administered among 100 respondents to record the preferred TLVs; the reason (s) for preference; consumption frequency; and constraints towards consumption of these vegetable species. This study recorded a total of 18 TLVs that belong to 14 genera and 11 families. Among these, Amaranthus hybridus, A. spinosus, A. thunbergii, Bidens biternata and Corchorus olitorius were the most preferred species. Vegetables were preferred primarily based on the taste; where most people ate them once a week when they are available. The major TLV consumption constraints were seasonal availability and low shelf life. A decline in the availability of TLVs was primarily caused by drought. Regardless of the observed decline, only 23% of respondents practiced informal cultivation of Amaranthus species. Bidens pilosa, Momordica balsamina, and Corchorus olitorius vegetable species were also known to possess some medicinal values. Future research on improving taste, increasing edible plant parts and elongating shelf life for preferred TLVs, is a necessity.

Large areas of moist upland grassland in KwaZulu-Natal are severely fragmented due to large scale farming of exotic trees. The aims of this thesis were to determine whether habitat fragmentation of these grasslands has a detrimental effect on plant-pollinator interactions and hence the reproductive output of the wildflower species occurring there and whether the magnitude of this effect can be predicted by breeding and pollination system characteristics. The 24 wildflower species included in this study appear to support a rich and diverse pollinator community, including long-tongued solitary bees, long-tongued flies, hawkmoths and sunbirds. Two thirds of the wildflower species appear relatively specialised in terms of pollination, with six species entirely dependent either on a single species or a specific functional type of pollinator for pollination. The majority of wildflower species (90%) were found to be incapable of autonomous self-pollination and thus dependent on pollinators for fruit and seed set. At least six species are obligately xenogamous. Little evidence was found for pollen limitation in undisturbed moist upland grassland, suggesting that these grasslands are characterised by high levels of pollinator activity. Greater levels of pollen limitation of reproductive output in habitat fragments was evident in two species, suggesting that depressed reproductive output in habitat fragments may be the consequence of a decrease in the quantity and/or quality of pollinator services. Significant detrimental effects of habitat fragmentation on reproductive output were evident in two thirds of the wildflower species, with 94% of the species exhibiting overall declines in seed set per flower from the continuous grassland site to the habitat fragments. The median decline in seed set per flower for the wildflower species was found to be 33.0%. Significantly more species experienced overall declines in reproductive output than would have been expected by chance alone. Only specificity of the pollination interaction in terms of number of pollinator taxa involved was found to be significantly related to percentage change in seed set from continuous to fragment habitats. This effect was diminished when other factors were included in a multiple regression. Results support Bond's (1994) hypothesis that degree of specificity in pollination systems is important in determining extinction risk of a given plant species. Declines in reproductive output of a range of wildflower species in grassland habitat fragments may affect the local persistence of these populations, particularly if recruitment is seed-limited.
Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

The KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, South Africa, is predominantly a grassland ecosystem maintained by fire. The effect of the current burning regime on invertebrate and flowering forb diversity in this ecosystem is poorly understood. The overall aim ofthis study was to contribute towards the development of an effective burning regime for the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg that will conserve invertebrates and indigenous forbs, two major components of biodiversity. The objectives were to examine the effect of fire and fire frequency on flowering forb and invertebrate species diversity, to determine whether fire frequency, time since last burn or locality were influencing species composition, and to identify potential biodiversity indicators that reflect overall species richness for use in monitoring of invertebrates and forbs. Sampling took place in March, September and November of 2002 at Giants Castle Game Reserve. Invertebrates were sampled using sweep netting and targeted netting along transects, yellow pan traps and soil quadrats. Invertebrate taxa sampled were ants (Formicidae), butterflies (Lepidoptera), grasshoppers (Orthoptera), leafboppers (Cicadellidae), bees (Apoidea), bee flies (Bombyliidae), hover flies (Syrphidae), robber flies (Asilidae), spiders (Araneae), earthworms (Oligochaeta) and millipedes (Diploda). These were identified to species level with the assistance of taxon experts. Flowering forbs were sampled using five replicates of five by five metre quadrats randomly placed in each site. Overall flowering forb and invertebrate species diversity was higher in grasslands that were burnt for two consecutive years in 2001 and 2002 than in grasslands that were not burnt during those two years. Frequently (annual) and intermediately (biennial) burnt grasslands had significantly higher invertebrate and flowering forb diversity than infrequently (five years without burning) burnt grasslands. This, together with the fact that grasslands burnt during the year of sampling had higher species richness than grasslands burnt two and five years previously suggests that invertebrates and forbs are generally resilient to fire and many forb species appear to be stimulated by fire. However, each burn frequency had its own suite of unique flowering forb and invertebrate species. Invertebrate communities were influenced mostly by locality and the length of time past since the last fire and flowering forb communities were influenced mostly by the length oftime past since the last fire. Fire frequency had the least influence on both invertebrate and forb communities. Ecological succession occurred after each fire in the invertebrate communities but forb communities appear to need more than five years without fire for ecological succession to occur. The findings of this study therefore suggest that using a combination of three fire frequencies would result in patches of grassland in various stages of ecological succession, and would conserve species unique to each burning frequency, and would therefore conserve maximum diversity. Flowering forb species richness and certain invertebrate taxa (ants, leafboppers, spiders and bees) have the potential to act as indicators of overall invertebrate species richness for use in monitoring programmes.
Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.