20. SWEET LOWVELD BUSHVELD

Synonyms:

Lowveld (A10), Arid Lowveld (A11); Microphyllous Thorny Plains Bushveld, Sclerocarya caffra/Acacia nigrescens Savanna; Knoppiesdoring/Maroelaveld

Statistics:

5 781 km²; ±- 30% transformed; 67.26% conserved.

Locality & Physical Geography:

Found on reasonably flat plains between 170 to 250 m, from the eastern parts of the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, southwards through Swaziland and into the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

Climate:

Rainfall varies from 550 to 600 mm per year, falling in summer. Temperatures range between -2C and 43C, with an average of 22C.

Geology & Soil:

The substrate is characterised by a relatively shallow black, brown or red clayey soil, often with vertic properties, underlain by basalt, with some dolerite intrusions.

Vegetation:

This is an open tree savanna with a moderately developed shrub layer and a dense herbaceous layer. The tree layer is characterised by Marula Sclerocarya birrea, Knob Thorn Acacia nigrescens, Live-long Lannea stuhlmannii, Lonchocarpus capassa and Peltophorum africanum. The shrub layer commonly contains Sickle Bush Dichrostachys cinerea, Roundleaf Teak Pterocarpus rotundifolius, Scented Thorn Acacia nilotica, A. gerrardii, Albizia harveyi and Maytenus heterophylla. The grass layer is moderately developed, and species such as Redgrass Themeda triandra, Small Buffalograss Panicum coloratum, Fingergrass Digitaria eriantha, Bothriochloa radicans, Panicum maximum, Heteropogon contortus and Urochloa mosambicensis are conspicuous.

Key Environmental Parameters:

The clay soils, derived from basalt, and fire as well as grazing influence the vegetation.

Economic Uses:

Ecotourism in the Kruger National Park, game and cattle farming, and the cultivation of subtropical fruit, vegetables and sugar cane.

Conservation Status:

Two-thirds of Sweet Lowveld Bushveld is conserved in the Kruger National Park.

Key References:

Van der Schijff (1957), Werger & Coetzee (1978), Coetzee (1983), Gertenbach (1983), Van Wyk (1984).

Authors:

Noel van Rooyen & George Bredenkamp.