The flora of Meadowridge/Bergvliet open spaces

Areas of botanical significance within Meadowridge and Bergvliet

by Stuart Hall

Apart from the largest and most important remnant patch of natural vegetation within the area, Meadowridge Common, there are a number of other less well documented open spaces which also contain an interestingly high number of indigenous plant species including a number not usually encountered within such an established suburb with the levels of disturbance present here. The natural vegetation cover found here originally was mostly Cape Flats Sand Fynbos found on light acidic sandy soil as well as Peninsula Granite Fynbos found on granite-derived clay.

While Meadowridge common (an example of lowland acid-sand plain fynbos: CFSF) contains around 120 species of indigenous plants growing wild, other open spaces nearby have as much as over 40 species in some cases, as noted in the plant species list. Each locality was named usually according to the roads on which it is situated. In some cases species were recorded with the date first noted in order to give some idea of when they are present if not perennial, as many plants still persisting in the area are able to do so because they are geophytes (bulbs) or at least somewhat dormant for part of the year.

Summer on Meadowridge Common

Although it doesn't look very colourful in summer, the Common is full of surprises.

You can find butterflies like this Painted Lady (Vanessa* cardui).

Or the beautiful blue pea-flowers of the Fountain Bush (Psoralea pinnata).

The Sweet Sprayflower or Heuningblommetjie (Struthiola dodecandra) flowers from November to March.

And there is always a pelargonium in bloom. This one is the Wild Storksbill (Pelargonium cucullatum subsp. cucullatum).

*Sometimes also called Cynthia cardui (see http://www.ispot.org.za/node/152867#comment-48640).