Members of the Zandvlei Trust have donated generously to the project to clear the invasive plants which are threatening the natural vegetation on the western side of the Zandvlei Nature Reserve. We started working on this project on 13 September and should take about two or three weeks for the immediate problem plants to be cleared.
Some of the plants that occur naturally in that area are;
Disa bracteata – A ground Orchid endemic to Eastern and Western Cape
Holothrix villosa – A ground Orchid endemic to Eastern, Western and Northern Cape
Psoralea glaucina – Bloutee. Endemic to the Cape Flats. Critically endangered
Sparaxis bulbifera – Airleaf Satinflower. Endemic to the Western Cape. Threatened by ongoing habitat loss to urban expansion on the Cape Flats
Trachyandra flexifolia – Endemic to Western and Northern Cape
There are 3 populations of Psoralea glaucina in this section of the Reserve.
The plants that we are trying to control are;
Vicia or Vetch, Osteospermum monoliferum (Bietou) used to be Chrysanthemoides moniliferum and Morella cordifolium (Waxberry). Waxberry and Bietou are pioneer indigenous species that do become invasive if they have the right conditions.
At present have three people working on this project. They are working under the supervision of Noel Kuiler – the gardener at the Westlake Garden. These workers are from the informal settlement called Village Heights.