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Robertson Karoo is a semi-arid
Robertson Karoo typically consists of low hills and flats covered in small succulent vegetation, usually growing on rocky shale-based soils. The climate is semi-arid due to the region lying in the rainshadow of the large mountain ranges to the south-west, but the rainfall does tend to occur mainly in winter.
This vegetation type has a large number of endemic species and several endemic genera.
WWF article on Robertson vegetation types
/ref>
Robertson Karoo is a semi-arid vegetation type
Vegetation classification is the process of classifying and mapping the vegetation over an area of the earth's surface. Vegetation classification is often performed by state based agencies as part of land use, resource and environmental management ...
, restricted to sections of the Breede River Valley
Breede River Valley is a region of Western Cape Province, South Africa known for being the largest fruit and wine producing valley in the Western Cape, as well as South Africa's leading race-horse breeding area. It is part of the Boland borderin ...
, Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...
Province, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
. It is a subtype of Succulent Karoo
The Succulent Karoo is a ecoregion defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature to include regions of desert in South Africa and Namibia, and a biodiversity hotspot. The geographic area chosen by the WWF for what they call 'Succulent Karoo' does no ...
(geographically an extension of the "Little Karoo") and is characterised by the dominance of succulent plant species, and by several endemic plants and animals.
Location and extent
This vegetation type occurs in several large patches within theBreede River Valley
Breede River Valley is a region of Western Cape Province, South Africa known for being the largest fruit and wine producing valley in the Western Cape, as well as South Africa's leading race-horse breeding area. It is part of the Boland borderin ...
, in the Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...
Province of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
. It occurs in the area between Worcester in the north-west, Ashton in the east, and the Riviersonderend mountains in the south.
Landscape and climate
Robertson Karoo typically consists of low hills and flats covered in small succulent vegetation, usually growing on rocky shale-based soils. The climate is semi-arid due to the region lying in the rainshadow of the large mountain ranges to the south-west, but the rainfall does tend to occur mainly in winter.
This vegetation type has a large number of endemic species and several endemic genera.
Some associated plant species
*'' Aloe microstigma'' *''Haworthia pumila
''Tulista pumila'' ("Vratjiesaalwee") is a species of ''Tulista'' succulent plant, from the Western Cape, South Africa.
It was formerly placed in the genus '' Haworthia'', as ''Haworthia pumila'' or ''Haworthia maxima''.
Description
It is an ev ...
''
* '' Haworthia reticulata''
*'' Cotyledon orbiculata''
*'' Gasteria disticha''
*''Astroloba rubriflora
''Astroloba rubriflora'' is a succulent plant found in the mountainous Karoo area around Robertson, South Africa. It is listed as a Vulnerable species on the IUCN global Red List.
Naming and taxonomy
It was formerly grouped by some authorities ...
''
*''Conophytum ficiforme
''Conophytum ficiforme'' is a small South African species of succulent plant of the genus ''Conophytum''.
Description
The name ''"ficiforme"'' is Latin for ''"fig-shaped"'', and refers to the shape of their bodies, which is raised, globose and ...
''
*'' Euphorbia burmannii''
*'' Euphorbia mauritanica var. corallothamnus'' (dominant on the typical raised "heuweltjies")
*''Crassula rupestris
''Crassula rupestris'', called buttons on a string, is a species of '' Crassula'' native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-e ...
''
*'' Ruschia caroli''
*''Euclea undulata
''Euclea'', from the Greek ''eukleia'' meaning "glory and fame", denotes a group of flowering plants in the Ebenaceae or ebony family. They were described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1774. The genus includes evergreen trees and shrubs, native to ...
''
*'' Helichrysum hamulosum''
*'' Stapelia paniculata subsp. scitula''
*''Eriocephalus africanus
''Eriocephalus africanus'' is a bushy shrublet indigenous to South Africa. It has a wide distribution in the Western and Eastern Cape, and in Namaqualand. The plant has several common names in various languages. It is known as the Kapokbos ...
''
*'' Eriospermum bayeri''
*'' Eriospermum bowieanum''
*'' Stayneria'' spp. (endemic genus)
*''Brianhuntleya
''Brianhuntleya'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Aizoaceae
The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and f ...
'' spp. (endemic genus)
*''Drosanthemum
''Drosanthemum'' ("dewflowers") is a genus of succulent plants in the ice plant family native to the winter-rainfall regions of southern Africa. Most species bear colorful flowers.
The name ''Drosanthemum'' means "dew-flower" in Greek, and ref ...
'' spp.
*''Pelargonium
''Pelargonium'' () is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs, commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. ''Geranium'' is also the botanical name and common name of a sepa ...
'' spp.
Some associated animal species
*'' Aloeides lutescens'' (endemic) *'' Bradypodion gutturale'' (endemic)/ref>
See also
*Karoo
The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi- desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ...
* Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden
References
{{Biodiversity of South Africa, bioveg Karoo Flora of South Africa Physiographic provinces Geography of the Western Cape