ArticlePDF Available

Modern vegetation at the Klasies River archaeological sites, Tsitsikamma coast, south-eastern Cape, South Africa: a reference collection Authors: van Wijk, Yvette; Tusenius, Madelon L.; Rust, Renee; Cowling, Richard M.; Wurz, Sarah https://doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2017.1286

Authors:

Abstract and Figures

Background and aims – The Klasies River cultural landscape, on the Tsitsikamma coast, south-eastern Cape, South Africa, features prominently in modern human origins research. The archaeobotanical information for the Klasies River landscape and its immediate environment is sparse. The aim of this study is the collection of a taxonomically valid and comprehensive reference database of modern botanical specimens as an aid to identifying macro- and micro-botanicals such as seeds, charcoal, phytoliths, parenchyma and pollen in the Klasies River archaeological deposits. This is an essential step in providing context for the identification of past vegetation and its usage by Stone Age populations. Methods – Herb, shrub, tree, grass, fern and geophyte voucher specimens were collected in 24 areas in the vicinity of the Klasies River sites, and further inland within a 5km radius, between 2013 and 2015. The collecting was done at different times of year so that all stages of the flowering, fruiting and seeding cycles for most plants could be sampled. Key results – A total of 268 species, in 196 genera and 78 families were collected. Only 69 of these 268 species currently appear on the relevant database grid of the Integrated Biodiversity Information System (SIBIS), the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Our work clearly indicates the need for thorough and systematic collecting at archaeologically significant sites in the Cape region to provide further environmental proxies for the interpretation and contextualisation of the development of anatomically modern human behaviour. Conclusions – The Klasies River landscape, although located within the broad Fynbos Biome, cannot be classified as such, as relatively few fynbos species are represented in the core area surrounding the sites. The vegetation is in fact a complex mosaic of thicket, forest and coastal vegetation. This densely interdigitated vegetation provides a wide variety of useful resources. Key words – Klasies River archaeological sites, Tsitsikamma region, southern Cape, south-eastern Cape, thicket, forest, coastal vegetation, fynbos, medicinal plants, edible plants.
Core collecting areas numbered and described. 1 at entrance to Cave 1a -badly worn and trampled, succulents and grass 2 rubble berm on lower eastern edge of Cave 1c -disturbed and unstable 2a low veg in slight depression and wash­away to east of area 2 -fresh water seep present 3 high northern end of berm beside Cave 1c - milkwood forest & thicket from 20 cm to 2 m 4 concave slope rising to the north -grassy species­rich wind­sheared vegetation 4a Similar to 4 but including wind-sheared 'Lilliputian' forest & thicket species 5 steeply sloping area between shore & cliff to cave 1b - low grassy wind-sheared thicket 6 immediately at entrance to Cave 3 - dense thorny thicket & forest 7 immediately at entrance to Cave 4 -thorny thicket, succulents and herbs 8 mixed species-rich grassy veg - thicket in lee of wind, sloping up to cliffs on north-west 8a dense vegetation, mostly thicket & forest up to 2.5 m 9 long valley sloping steeply up west, grassy, succulents, geophytes, thicket in lee of wind 10 grassy flats between cliffs and seashore - low grass, succulent, coastal / littoral 10a similar to 10 but with more low shrubby and succulent species / littoral 11 from the edge of rocks above sea­shore -from low grassy scrub to thicket 1 m 12 along both sides of entrance track sloping south -dense coastal thicket 13 along both sides of entrance track sloping west -thicket, forest, lianas 14 along both sides of entrance track sloping north -thicket, + few fynbos spp. 15 small coastal forest patch below caves 3 & 4 - sheltered by fore-dune with thicket 16 narrow band on edge of beach & fore-dune -low coastal veg., thicket at eastern end 17 small patch of 3-4 m forest and thicket, some disturbed grassy area 18 along footpath above rocky edge to seashore -thicket to 1.5 m+, below forest patch 19 small beach & cliff on west bank of Klasies River - cliff & estuarine vegetation.
… 
Content may be subject to copyright.
Plant Ecology and Evolution 150 (1): 13–34, 2017
https://doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2017.1286
Modern vegetation at the Klasies River archaeological sites, Tsitsikamma
coast, south-eastern Cape, South Africa: a reference collection
Yvette van Wijk1,*, Madelon L. Tusenius2, Renee Rust3, Richard M. Cowling4,5 & Sarah Wurz6
1Botany Department, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
2School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
3School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
4Botany Department, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
5Centre for Coastal Palaeosciences, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa
6School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
*Author for correspondence: vanwijkyvette@gmail.com
INTRODUCTION
The Klasies River cultural landscape is situated on the Tsi-
tsikamma coast, south-eastern Cape, South Africa, about
90kmwestofPortElizabeth(g.1).Thislandscape,aNa-
tional Heritage site, consists of a 2 km stretch of coast be-
tween the mouth of the Klasies River (known locally as the
Kaapserivier) to the west and Druipkelder Point to the east
andincludesbuerzonesintotheintertidalzoneandcoastal
platform towards the south and north respectively. There are
ve major archaeological features on this landscape: Main
Site(gs1 &2)occurs closest toKlasiesRiver mouth and
consistsofa complexofcaves(Caves 1,1A,1B, 1C &2).
Caves 3 and 4, not yet investigated archaeologically, occur
further to the east, with Cave 5, the eastern most feature,
close to Druipkelder Point. Various parts of the Klasies River
landscapehavebeenexcavatedsincethe1960sbySinger&
Wymer (1982), Deacon (1986, 1989, 1995) and Binneman
(1995), with Sarah Wurz, University of the Witwatersrand,
starting a new project in 2014. The excavations at Main Site
All rights reserved. © 2017 Botanic Garden Meise and Royal Botanical Society of Belgium
ISSN: 2032-3913 (print) – 2032-3921 (online)
REGULAR PAPER
Background and aims – The Klasies River cultural landscape, on the Tsitsikamma coast, south-eastern
Cape, South Africa, features prominently in modern human origins research. The archaeobotanical
information for the Klasies River landscape and its immediate environment is sparse. The aim of this
study is the collection of a taxonomically valid and comprehensive reference database of modern botanical
specimens as an aid to identifying macro- and micro-botanicals such as seeds, charcoal, phytoliths,
parenchyma and pollen in the Klasies River archaeological deposits. This is an essential step in providing
contextfortheidenticationofpastvegetationanditsusagebyStoneAgepopulations.
Methods – Herb, shrub, tree, grass, fern and geophyte voucher specimens were collected in 24 areas in
the vicinity of the Klasies River sites, and further inland within a 5km radius, between 2013 and 2015. The
collectingwasdoneatdierenttimesofyearsothatallstagesoftheowering,fruitingandseedingcycles
for most plants could be sampled.
Key results – A total of 268 species, in 196 genera and 78 families were collected. Only 69 of these
268 species currently appear on the relevant database grid of the Integrated Biodiversity Information
System (SIBIS), the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Our work clearly indicates
theneedforthoroughandsystematiccollectingatarchaeologicallysignicantsitesintheCaperegionto
provide further environmental proxies for the interpretation and contextualisation of the development of
anatomically modern human behaviour.
Conclusions – The Klasies River landscape, although located within the broad Fynbos Biome, cannot
beclassied as such, as relatively few fynbos species are represented in the core area surrounding the
sites. The vegetation is in fact a complex mosaic of thicket, forest and coastal vegetation. This densely
interdigitated vegetation provides a wide variety of useful resources.
Key words – Klasies River archaeological sites, Tsitsikamma region, southern Cape, south-eastern Cape,
thicket, forest, coastal vegetation, fynbos, medicinal plants, edible plants.
14
Pl. Ecol. Evol. 150 (1), 2017
and Cave 5 have revealed MSA and LSA occupation of the
sites from the rst part of the Late Pleistocene to the Late
Holocene. Acheulean bifaces and MSA artefacts have been
noted in the deation hollows of the fossilized Geelhout-
boomduneontheplateauabovethecavesites(g.1,Laidler
1947,Deacon&Geleijnse1988).
Main Site was intensively occupied by coastal foragers
between c. 120 000 and 55 000 years ago and thus preserves
an extraordinarily comprehensive record of cultural adapta-
tion within the context of one of the earliest MSA coastal
economies that has been recorded (Singer & Wymer 1982,
Deacon1989,Deacon&Geleijnse1988,Wurz2002,2012).
Cave 5 also preserves evidence of a pulse of occupation
contemporaneous with ca 120 000 year old layers at Main
Site(Singer&Wymer1982).Someoftheearliest andmost
extensive fossil evidence for early anatomically modern hu-
mans occurs at Main Site (Singer & Wymer 1982, Deacon
2008, Grine et al. 2017). From around c. 4800 BP–2300 BP
(Nami et al. 2016), coastal dwellers again occupied Main
Site,andalso Cave5(Singer &Wymer1982), demonstrat-
ing that this landscape has provided a favourable habitat over
a long period of time. Several studies have already been un-
dertaken to provide insight into the palaeo-environmental as-
Figure 1 – Locality of the Klasies River archaeological sites,
Tsitsikamma coast, South Africa. AdaptedfromDeacon&Geleijnse
(1988).
Figure 2 – Panorama of Main Site, situated in the complex Klasies River coastal landscape.
pects of these Stone Age occupations, for example, the anal-
yses of the large mammal fauna, microfauna, shellsh and
isotopes(e.g.Klein1976,Singer&Wymer1982,Deaconet
al. 1986, Avery 1986, 1987, Deacon et al. 1988, Thackeray
1988, Van Pletzen 2000, Langejans et al. 2012). More recent-
ly Late Pleistocene speleothems from Cave 1C have been
studied (Braun 2014). Several on-going research projects are
referred to below as unpublished research (unpubl. res.).
Archaeobotanical information for the Klasies River land-
scape and its immediate environment is sparse, although pre-
liminary studies of small charcoal samples were undertaken
(Deacon et al. 1986, M.L. Tusenius, University of the Wit-
watersrand, South Africa, pers. comm.), and more recently,
therst seeds(Zwane,WitwatersrandUniversity,Johannes-
burg, SA, unpubl.res.), and parenchyma (C. Larbey et al.,
Cambridge University, UK, unpubl. res.) have been identi-
ed.Besidesobtaining dataonpast vegetation, archaeobot-
anical analyses at other sites, for example Sibudu Cave, have
shown that they have much potential to provide unexpected,
nuanced interpretations of populations’ behaviour and ad-
aptation (e.g. Wadley 2015). Plants provide micronutrients,
not available anywhere else, which are essential to human
diet and health – humans cannot live without plants as food
and medicine. Seeds, fruit, leaves, roots, tubers, bulbs, gum,
buds, ower stalks, internodes, nectar (De Vynck et al.
2016a), plus shoots, bark, cambium, sap, pollen, pods, and
galls were, and still are, all utilised. Deacon (1989, 1992,
1993) suggested that a long history of ethnographically
known plant exploitation may have been evident at Klasies
River since the Late Pleistocene. He interpreted carbonised
material observed in blackened layers at the site as altered
plant remains (Deacon 1993, 1995). Deacon (1993) also sug-
gested that when above-ground food resources were limited,
plants with underground storage organs (USOs) would have
been important sources of carbohydrates (see De Vynck et al.
2016a, 2016b, Singels et al. 2016). USOs may not have been
the only carbohydrate resource at Klasies River or elsewhere
as grasses may also have been an important food resource
(e.g. Henry et al. 2014, Eoin 2016).
One of the goals of the current excavation project at
Klasies River is to expand archaeobotanical investigation
for both the LSA and MSA deposits. In archaeological re-
ports, the botanical context provided for the Klasies cave
sites is noted as fynbos, either as a vegetation type or as a
15
van Wijk et al., Modern vegetation in the Klasies River cultural landscape
biome (e.g. Klein 1976, Faith 2011, Henry et al. 2014) or as
a complex forest-scrub and forest-grassveld-macchia mosaic
(Butzer 1978), with some reference to Afromontane Forest
(Deacon 1993). With the exception of specimens collected
for wood samples by Tusenius in 1984 and 1985, no system-
atic sampling of the composition of the vegetation has been
undertaken at the Klasies River cultural landscape and its
immediate environment. An essential step in providing com-
parative material and context for past vegetation and its us-
age by the Stone Age populations is to produce a taxonomi-
cally valid and comprehensive botanical database.
In this paper we report on the collection of 90–95% per-
centage of the modern botanical species in close proximity
to the Klasies River Main Site and Caves 3 and 4, and we
describe and characterise the present vegetation within the
regionalbiophysicalcontext(tables1&2).Wealsoindicate
which of the taxa collected are edible and/or medicinal or
haveotheruses(tables1,3&4),andweemphasisethehigh
prevalence of useful species collected. The latter topic is,
however, to be covered more comprehensively in another pa-
per(Y.vanWijk&R.Rust,RhodesUniversity,SouthAfrica,
unpubl. res.). The vegetation we sampled in detail in close
proximity to the Klasies River sites is a complex mosaic of
predominantly thicket, forest and coastal vegetation, with a
few fynbos elements.
BIOPHYSICAL CONTEXT
Klasies River falls within the Cape Fold Belt geomorphic
province where the dominant bedrock comprises quartzitic
sandstones of the Peninsula Formation of the Table Mountain
Group (TMG). These, together with other formations of the
TMG and some narrow bands of Bokkeveld Group shales,
form the Tsitsikamma coastal plateau, a narrow (50–13 km)
Figure 3 – Greater collection area within 5 kilometres of Main Site:
20 Fynbos remnant, 21 Forest remnant, 22 above cave 5, 23 on
plateau, 24 Kamsedrif.
relatively level plain ranging from c. 150–260 m in altitude
and located between the coast and the Tsitsikamma Moun-
tains. The plateau is massively incised by the narrow gorges
of short rivers such as the Klasies and Tsitsikamma rivers,
locally named Kaapserivier and Kamrivier, hence Kaapse-
drif and Kamsedrif occurring between the mountains and the
coast(g.3).Periodsof lowersealevelsinthepast,for ex-
ample, between 100000 and 55000 BP, would have had sig-
nicantimpactson thevegetationand past resourcesasthe
coast would have been between 2 and 5 km away (Langejans
et al. 2012). At present, the coastal margin, including the c.
100–150mcoastalclis,ismantledbya2–3kmwidecoast-
al band of Cenozoic (Algoa Group) sediments of a coastal
and aeolian origin (Le Roux 2000). These sediments include
the Nanaga Formation –Pliocene to Early Pleistocene aeo-
lian deposits, e.g. those of the Geelhoutboom fossil dune
(Deacon& Geleijnse1988)– as wellasthe unconsolidated
windblown sand of the vegetated dunes of Holocene age (Le
Roux 2000). The sea-land contact zone at present is deep-
ly indented and fractured with ragged rocks forming small
points, tunnels, and narrow bands which are vegetated right
to the edge of the rocks. Rock outcrops alternate with small
sandy bays, often covered in a thick layer of rounded quartz-
ite cobbles of varied size and colour, which were utilised for
tool-makinginthepast(Singer&Wymer1982).
Seasonal temperature variation is low and this equable
climateisaconsequenceofthestabilizingeectofthewarm
Agulhas Current. Between 1959 and 2001, the annual aver-
age minimum and maximum temperatures recorded at Cape
St Francis, some 60 km east of Klasies River, were between
9 and 18°C in winter and between 18 and 23°C in summer
(DuPlessis2015).Becauseof the cooling eect of the on-
shore winds bringing mist and sea-spray, temperatures are
lower in the vicinity of the sites than up on the plateau and
inland (Lubke 1985). As is typical of the Cape south coast,
rainfall is all year round with small peaks during autumn and
spring(Weldon&Reason2014).Theaverageannualrainfall
on the southern slopes of the nearby Tsitsikamma mountains
isbetween875and1,375mm(Hosking&du Preez 1999)
and at Storms River weather station 25 km west of Klasies
River it is 810 mm (Grey et al. 1987). This is optimal for
Afrotemperate forest and more than enough to sustain thick-
et. The prevailing winds are from the west-southwest in win-
ter, but in summer the frequency and strength of east-south-
east winds increases (Elkington 2012, Lubke 1985).
The Klasies River sites are located in the broad Eastern
Fynbos and Renosterveld bioregion of the Cape Floristic
Region’sFynbosbiome(Mucina&Rutherford2006).How-
ever, as is typical of this bioregion, Fynbos and Renosterveld
interdigitate and form mosaic structures with three other
biomes, namely Forest, Subtropical Thicket and Grassland
(Cowling 1982, 1984, Cowling & Potts 2015). There are
species-based botanical assessments relevant to the broader
area which encompasses Klasies River, such as that of the
southern Cape forests (Geldenhuys 1993, 1993), the Tsitsi-
kamma National Park to the west (Hanekom et al. 1989) and
the Oyster Bay dunes to the east (Cowling 1984). Several na-
tional or regional vegetation maps, mainly at relatively crude
scales do exist for the area (e.g.Acocks 1988, Cowling &
Heijnis2001,Mucina&Rutherford2006,Vloketal.2008),
16
Pl. Ecol. Evol. 150 (1), 2017
but all are too coarse to realistically depict vegetation pat-
terns in the immediate Klasies River area.
In general, vegetation of the Algoa Group sediments
along the coastal margin comprises a complex array of veg-
etation types whose distribution is governed by exposure to
salt laden winds, exposure to recurrent re, soil formation
and aspect. However, owing to heavy infestations of alien
trees (Acacia longifolia (Andrews) Willd., A. saligna (La-
bill.) Wendl.), especially on the inland slopes of the dune
cordon,itisdicult todiscern theoriginal vegetationcom-
position. The Nanaga sands support a complex mosaic of for-
est, thicket, grassland and fynbos, as is the case further east
of Klasies River (Cowling 1984, Hoare et al. 2006). In wind-
and re-protected sites such as incised drainage lines lead-
ing to the coast, the vegetation is Southern Coastal Forest, a
subtropical type with a relatively rich tree ora. Conspicu-
ous species include Sideroxylon inerme, Ekebergia capensis,
Olea capensis subsp. capensis, Canthium inerme, Pteroce-
lastrus tricuspidatus, Gymnosporia nemorosa, Cassine pera-
gua, Acokanthera oppositifolia and Searsia chirindensis.
Drier and more exposed sites support patches of dune
thicket, which may occur in large blocks, such as the wind-
exposed slopes along the coast, or as clumps in a matrix of
grassland or fynbos. The composition is similar to the dune
thickets described by Cowling (1984). Dominant species are
Sideroxylon inerme, Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus, Euclea
racemosa, Putterlickia pyracantha, Tarchonanthus littoralis
and Searsia glauca. The younger (Holocene) dunes support
a mosaic of dune fynbos and thicket, a community that has
been well described by Cowling (1984) in the Cape St Fran-
cis area.
Along the coast, either on hummock dunes or on harder
surfaces exposed to salt-laden winds is an azonal community
of low herbs and shrubs, many of which are succulent. This
communityformspartofMucina&Rutherford’sCapeSea-
shore Vegetation (2006). The vegetation of the coastal plateau
Figure 4 – Core collecting areas numbered and described.
1 at entrance to Cave 1a – badly worn and trampled, succulents and grass
2 rubble berm on lower eastern edge of Cave 1c – disturbed and unstable
2a low veg in slight depression and wash-away to east of area 2 – fresh water seep present
3 highnorthernendofbermbesideCave1c–milkwoodforest&thicketfrom20cmto2m
4 concave slope rising to the north – grassy species-rich wind-sheared vegetation
4a Similarto4butincludingwind-sheared‘Lilliputian’forest&thicketspecies
5 steeplyslopingareabetweenshore&clitocave1b–lowgrassywind-shearedthicket
6 immediatelyatentrancetoCave3–densethornythicket&forest
7 immediately at entrance to Cave 4 – thorny thicket, succulents and herbs
8 mixedspecies-richgrassyveg-thicketinleeofwind,slopinguptoclisonnorth-west
8a densevegetation,mostlythicket&forestupto2.5m
9 long valley sloping steeply up west, grassy, succulents, geophytes, thicket in lee of wind
10 grassyatsbetweenclisandseashore–lowgrass,succulent,coastal/littoral
10a similar to 10 but with more low shrubby and succulent species / littoral
11 from the edge of rocks above sea-shore – from low grassy scrub to thicket 1 m
12 along both sides of entrance track sloping south – dense coastal thicket
13 along both sides of entrance track sloping west – thicket, forest, lianas
14 along both sides of entrance track sloping north – thicket, + few fynbos spp.
15 smallcoastalforestpatchbelowcaves3&4–shelteredbyfore-dunewiththicket
16 narrowbandonedgeofbeach&fore-dune–lowcoastalveg.,thicketateasternend
17 small patch of 3–4 m forest and thicket, some disturbed grassy area
18 along footpath above rocky edge to seashore – thicket to 1.5 m+, below forest patch
19 smallbeach&clionwestbankofKlasiesRiver-cli&estuarinevegetation.
17
van Wijk et al., Modern vegetation in the Klasies River cultural landscape
is included in the Tsitsikamma Sandstone Fynbos of Rebelo
et al. (2006). Remnant patches of fynbos on well-drained pla-
teau areas suggest dominance by overstorey proteoid shrubs
with a lower stratum of ericoid shrubs, restiods and grasses.
Geophytesare conspicuousafter re.Almostallofthisear-
lier vegetation on the plateau has, however, been replaced by
pastures, pine plantations and dense stands of alien trees.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
TherstbotanicalreferencematerialwascollectedbyTuse-
nius in 1984/1985 and consisted of woody taxa to be used
asacomparativecollectionfortheidenticationofcharcoal
remains from the Deacon excavations. During the present
excavation project, the existing wood reference material has
been expanded to a comprehensive collection of representa-
tive modern specimens of herbs, shrubs, trees, ferns, grasses
and geophytes by van Wijk, Rust, Tusenius, Larbey, Novello
and Cowling (table 1 & electronic appendix), to compile a
reference database as an aid to identifying macro- and micro-
botanicals such as seeds, charcoal, phytoliths, parenchyma
and pollen in the Klasies River archaeological deposits.
Specimens were collected as widely as possible in the im-
mediatecorearea,closetoMainSiteandtoCaves3&4in
collectingareas 1to19 (g.4).Additionalcollectionswere
made further inland within a 5 km radius of Main Site in ar-
eas20to24(g.3).TheseincludedapatchofFynbosanda
relatively intact forest section on the western slope above the
Klasies River itself (collecting areas 20 & 21 respectively
ing.3).Woodspecimenswerealsocollectedinlandabove
Cave 5 by Tusenius in 1984, and Cowling subsequently col-
lectedinthatareain2015(collectingarea22ing.3).
The ideal is to collect at dierent times of the year at
eachsite,and to collect allstagesofthe owering, fruiting
and seeding cycle for most plants, but unfortunately this is
seldompossibleduetotimeconstraintsandthedicultyof
access to many sites. In this study however, four week-long
collectingseasonsatdierenttimesoftheyearbyVanWijk
between 2013 and 2015 made it possible to collect duplicate
specimensinowerorbudforpollensampling,andinseed
or fruit for identication of charred seed remains. Collect-
ing took place in November, December, February, March and
May with unfortunately no collecting in the winter and early
spring. However, due to year-round rainfall and a temperate
climate, owering and fruiting of woody plants appear to
take place all year round – depending more on rainfall than
on the seasons (Y. van Wijk, Rhodes University, South Af-
rica,pers.comm.,seealsoPierce&Cowling1984).Onthe
other hand, many herbaceous plants, especially geophytes,
showed a more seasonal cycle with most phenological activ-
ity in the cooler months (De Vynck et al. 2016b).
The 2015 collection of underground tubers, bulbs, and
roots specically made for research on parenchyma in ar-
chaeological contexts (C. Larbey et al. Cambridge Univer-
sity, UK, unpubl. res.) in which 34 species were located, was
successful only because these geophytes had been seen and
collectedinoweror seedpreviously.Intermsofthewood
collection, an attempt was made to collect as many of the
woody taxa currently growing in the vicinity of the cave sites
as possible. Emphasis was also placed on getting examples
of the same taxa from dierent ecological micro-niches so
that any microscopic anatomical variability due to environ-
mental conditions may be observed. Sampling for the wood
collection is an on-going project.
Leafy voucher specimens for the woody taxa collected
in the 1980s, as well as charred specimens of the associated
wood samples, are lodged at Iziko:SA Museum, Cape Town.
All ethnobotanical and vegetation survey specimens collect-
ed by Van Wijk, Rust and Tusenius from 2013 to 2015 were
pressed to serve as voucher specimens for reference pur-
poses. Most of these specimens were photographed before
pressing and images have been, or will be, submitted to iSpot
for conrmation of identication, and to help assemble an
image database for the area. Additional special samples were
collectedinowerorbudin2013and2014forfuturepollen
research,and inseedforidenticationof charredseedrem-
nants recovered during excavation. These ower and seed
vouchers were sent to Johannesburg to be deposited in the
Evolutionary Studies Institute herbarium at the University
of the Witwatersrand. A complete set of voucher specimens
will be lodged at the Selmar Schonland Herbarium, Graham-
stown, with any duplicates going to the Ria Olivier Herbar-
ium at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU),
Port Elizabeth.
Identications were made mainly by Yvette van Wijk,
with assistance from Johan Baard, Jan Vlok, Richard Cowl-
ing (Ria Olivier Herbarium), Tony Dold (Selmar Schonland
Herbarium),SandraBurrowsandRodneyMoett,withsome
input from iSpot (2016). Classication and authors are ac-
cording to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2016), and the
International Plant Names Index (IPNI 2016). Naming for
allAngiosperms follows Manning & Goldblatt (2012), and
Pteridophytes follow Crouch et al. (2011). To prevent confu-
sion due to many recent name changes, synonyms are given
in the tables for family, genus and species wherever relevant.
RESULTS
A total of 268 species, in 196 genera and 78 families were
collected and are listed in table 1 (see also electronic appen-
dix). The species were collected in 24 numbered areas shown
ings 3&4, andrepresentpresence andabsencedata.Ac-
cessibilityinsomeofthesiteswashamperedbysheerclis,
impenetrable thorny vegetation or dense stands of the alien
invasive tree Acacia cyclops and some areas have not been
collected. The species tally from these areas is therefore un-
likely to be comprehensive. The number of collecting areas
in which each species was collected is indicated in table 1.
The common names of each species including, where possi-
ble, Khoe-San names are given in the table and are according
toBattenetal.(2001),iSpot (2016), Manning & Goldblatt
(2012),Smith(1966),vanWyketal.(1997)andvanWyk&
Gericke (2000). The uses of these taxa as medicinal and/or
edible plants, as well as those with other uses are also indi-
cated(Fox &Norwood-Young 1982,Hutchingsetal.1996,
Smith 1966, van Wyk et al. 1997, Arnold et al. 2002, van
Wyk & Gericke 2000, Pote et al. 2006,Y. van Wijk & R.
Rust, Rhodes University, South Africa, unpubl. res.)
Where the actual species present at Klasies is not referred
to in the references cited, but the genus is however described
18
Pl. Ecol. Evol. 150 (1), 2017
Taxon No of Areas
present Common name Uses Veg type
Acanthaceae FM
Hypoestes aristata(Vahl)Roem.&Schult.
(verticillaris)19 Ribbonbush, Seeroogblom E FTC
Justicia leptantha (Nees) T.Anderson 3 Kiesieblaar GM
Isoglossa ciliata Lindau 6 Businessman’s plant GM FT
Adiantaceae (Pteridaceae)
Adiantum capillus-veneris L. 1 Maiden Hair fern M
Agavaceae (Anthericaceae)
Chlorophytum comosum (Thunb.) Jacques 4 Hen&Chickens E FTC
Aizoaceae
Carpobrotus deliciosus (L.Bolus) L.Bolus 10 Sour Fig, Suurvy, Tandsprooi, Brakvy,
Gaukum, Dikgoena M E TCfy
Conicosia pugioniformis (L.) N.E.Brown 1 Snotwortel, Varkslaai E T
Delosperma litorale (Kensit) L.Bolus 4 Kalkklipvygie GM TC
Delosperma saxicola Lavis 1 Rotsvgie GM
Drosanthemum oribundum (Haw.) Schwantes 5 Douvygie T
Lampranthus spectabilis (Haw.) N.E.Br. 2 Rankvygie
Mesembryanthemum aitonis Jacq. 7 Brakvygie, Brakslaai M E C
Ruschia lineolata Schwantes 10 Muisvygie
Tetragonia decumbens Mill. 3 Dune spinach E TC
Tetragonia fruticosa L. 13 Sea spinach GM TC
Amaranthaceae (Chenopodiaceae)
Chenolea diusa Thunb. 8 Seawrack, Soutbossie M TC
*Chenopodium ambrosioides L. 2 Wormseed, Galsiekbos M E
*Chenopodium murale L. 5 Misbredie, Varklossie, Tjuana-seep M E
*Chenopodium vulvaria L. 1 Pisbossie GM
Exomis microphylla (Thunb.) Aellen 5 Hondepisbossie, Rambos M E TC
Pupalia lappacea (L.) Juss. 3 Klitz, Sweethearts M E FT
Sarcocornia littorea (Moss) A.J.Scott 3 Samphire, Lidjiesbos, Ganna-asbos E TC
Amaryllidaceae FM
Haemanthus albios Jacq. 1 Paintbrush, Poeierkwas, Veldskoenblaar M O FTC
Anacardiaceae
Searsia chirindensis(Bakerf.)Moett(Rhus) 1 Wild Currant, Boskaree M E O F
Searsia crenata(Thunb.)Moett(Rhus) 10 Soettaaibos, Korentebos E O FTCfy
Searsia glauca(Thunb.)Moett(Rhus) 6 Blinkblaartaibos, Krintingbessie, E O FTCfy
Searsia nebulosa(Schönland)Moett(Rhus) 1 Sandtaaibos E T
Searsia pyroides(Burch.)Moett(Rhus) 6 Deurmekaartaaibos, Rivierkaree E O T
Apiaceae FM
Apium decumbensEckl.&Zeyh. 6 Sea Celery M C
*Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. 2 Pennywort, Waternavel M E
Dasispermum suruticosum (P.J.Bergius) B.L.Burtt
(Heteroptilis)2 Sea Parsley E C
Lichtensteinia interrupta E.Mey. 1 Wild Anise, Kalmoes M
Table 1Klasies River species list 2013 to 2015.
Synonyms are italicised in brackets - aliens marked with *. M = medicinal, E = edible, O = other use. GM = Genus reported in the literature
as medicinal, GE = edible, GO = other use. FM = Family reported in the literature as important medicinally. F = forest, T = thicket, C =
coastal, fy = Fynbos.
19
van Wijk et al., Modern vegetation in the Klasies River cultural landscape
Taxon No of Areas
present Common name Uses Veg type
Apiaceae FM
Notobubon ferulaceum (Thunb.) Magee
(Peucedanum)2Lidjiesbos, Wildeseldery, Gatagaai GM T
Notobubon laevigatum (Aiton) Magee
(Peucedanum)3 Lidjiesbos, Bergseldery, Gatagaai M E FT
Apocynaceae FM
Acokanthera oppositifolia (Lam.) Codd 3 Bushman’s poison, Boesmansgif M FTC
Carissa bispinosa (L.) Desf. ex Brenan
(haematocarpa)12 Num-num, Nam-noempies, Noem-Noem M E O FTC
Cynanchum ellipticum (Harv.) R.A.Dyer 4 Dawidjiewortel, Bobbejaantou, Bokhoring,
Nenta M E FTC
Cynanchum natalitium Schltr. 5 Dawidjiewortel, Bobbejaantou, Bokhoring,
Nenta E GM FTC
Secamone alpini Schult. 3 Melktou, Bobbejaantou GM FTC
Aquifoliaceae
Ilex mitis (L.) Radlk. 2 Wild Holly M E F
Araceae FM
Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng. 2 Arum Lily, Hottentotsblare M E F
Araliaceae FM
Cussonia thyrsiora Thunb. 4 Spekbos, Nooiensboom E TC
Asparagaceae (Liliaceae) FM
Asparagus aethiopicus L. 1 Wild Asparagus, Katdoring, Katjang M E FTCfy
Asparagus densiorus (Kunth) Jessop (sprengeri) 10 Wild Asparagus, Katdoring, Kattestert M T
Asphodelaceae (Liliaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae)
Gasteria acinacifolia (J.Jacq.) Haw. 2 Beestong, Ox Tongue, Hottentot Rice,
Bontkouterie E GM FT
Trachyandra divaricata Kunth 2 Veldkool, Wild Cabbage E FC
Aspleniaceae
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum (Kunze) J.P.Roux 2 Maidenhair Fern M
Asteraceae FM
Arctotis linearis Thunb. 1 Gousblom GM C
Arctotheca prostrata (Salisb.) Britten 5 Cape weed, Gousblom, Skaapoor M
Arctotheca populifolia (P.J.Bergius) Norl. 1 Seepampoen GM TC
Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd. 1 Wildeals M T
Berkheya decurrens (Thunb.) Willd. 3 Grootdisseldoring M T
Cineraria geifolia (L.) L. 13 Geelkransbossie GM
Cotula sericea L.f. 10 Buttons, Ganskos M TCfy
*Cotula coronopifolia L. 1 Ganskos GM C
Dimorpotheca fruticosa (L.) Less.
(Osteospermum barberae)2 Cape Daisy GM TC
Felicia echinata (Thunb.) Nees 3 Seebloubossie GM TCfy
Gazania rigens var. leucolaena (DC.) Roessler 5 Strandgousblom M C
Gazania rigens var. uniora (L.f.) Roessler 9 Botterblom, Gousblom M TC
Gazania pectinata (Thunb.) Hartweg 2 Gousblom E
Table 1 (continued)Klasies River species list 2013 to 2015.
Synonyms are italicised in brackets; aliens marked with *. M = medicinal, E = edible, O = other use. GM = Genus reported in the literature
as medicinal, GE = edible, GO = other use. FM = Family reported in the literature as important medicinally. F = forest, T = thicket, C =
coastal, fy = Fynbos.
20
Pl. Ecol. Evol. 150 (1), 2017
Taxon No of Areas
present Common name Uses Veg type
Asteraceae FM
Gerbera piloselloides (L.) Cass. 2 Swarteebossie, Pitpursies M F
Haplocarpha nervosa (Thunb.) Beauverd 1 Brandbossie M
Helichrysum albanense Hilliard 1 Everlasting GM T
Helichrysum anomalum Less. 1 Everlasting, Hotnotstee GM Cfy
Helichrysum aureum (Houtt.) Merr. 1 Everlasting M
Helichrysum cymosum (L.) D.Don 5 Kooigoed, Hotnotskooigoed, Hotnotstee M FTCfy
Helichrysum herbaceum (Andrews) Sweet 1 Everlasting M
Helichrysum petiolareHilliard&B.L.Burtt 5Kooigoed, Vaalky, Geita Hotnotskooigoed,
Langbeenghyta, M FCfy
Helichrysum rosum (P.J.Bergius) Less 2 Everlasting GM
Helichrysum teretifolium (L.) D.Don 5 Verpis GM TCfy
Helichrysum umbraculigerum Less. 5 Kerriebos, Kerriekruie, Hotnotstee
Metalasia muricata (L.) D.Don 6 Blombos, Witsteekbossie M TCfy
Oncosiphon africanus (P.J.Bergius) Källersjö 1 Wild Chamomile, Kamella GM
Osteospermum (Chrysanthemoides) moniliferum L. 1 Bitou, Boetabessie, Bietou, Bilhô M E FTCfy
Othonna carnosa Less. 4 GM T
Plecostachys serpyllifolia
(P.J.Bergius)Hilliard&B.L.Burtt 1 Vaaltee M E T
Senecio angulatus L.f. 1 Cape Ivy M FTC
Senecio elegans L. 5 Strandblommetjie GM C
Senecio oederiifolius DC. 12 Hongerbos, Ragwort GM FT
Senecio othonniorus DC. 1 Sybos M T
Stoebe plumosa (L.) Thunb. 1Slangbossie, Vaalbossie M Cfy
Syncarpha argentea (Thunb.) B.Nord. 1 Everlasting, Sewejaartjies GM C
Syncarpha striata (Thunb.) B.Nord. 2 Everlasting, Sewejaartjies GM
Tarchonanthus littoralis P.P.J.Herman 6 Wild Camphor, Seesalie, Siriehout,
Swartsalie, Hottentot Tobacco M O FTCfy
Boraginaceae FM
Cordia cara Sond. 1 Ouhout, Septee M E FT
Brassicaceae FM
Heliophila linearis DC. 3 Bloubekkie GM T
Heliophila subulataBurch.&DC. 2 Blompeperbossie M
Campanulaceae
Prismatocarpus campanuloides (L.) Sond. 1 Bell Flower M
Wahlenbergia undulata (L.f.) A.DC. 1 African Bluebell M E
Capparaceae FM
Capparis sepiaria L. 2 Wild caper, Wag-’n-bietjie M FTC
Maerua racemulosa Pax 1 Without, Bush Cherry E FTC
Caryophyllaceae
Silene (primuliora) crassifolia L. 7 DuneCatchy,S’nama M FTCfy
Silene undulata Aiton 4 Wildetabak, Ubulao M E FT
*Stellaria media (L.) Vill. 7 Chickweed M
Table 1 (continued)Klasies River species list 2013 to 2015.
Synonyms are italicised in brackets - aliens marked with *. M = medicinal, E = edible, O = other use. GM = Genus reported in the literature
as medicinal, GE = edible, GO = other use. FM = Family reported in the literature as important medicinally. F = forest, T = thicket, C =
coastal, fy = Fynbos.
21
van Wijk et al., Modern vegetation in the Klasies River cultural landscape
Taxon No of Areas
present Common name Uses Veg type
Celastraceae FM
Cassine peragua L. 2 Bastersafraan, Koeboebessie M O FTCfy
Elaeodendron croceum (Thunb.) DC. 2 Saron,Safraan M O FT
Gymnosporia nemorosa(Eckl.&Zeyh.)Szyszył.
(Maytenus)6 Pendoring, Kamnassiehout M FT
Lauridia tetragona (L.f.) R.H.Archer (Cassine) 3 Droëlewer E FTCfy
Maytenus procumbens (L.f.) Loes. 6 Duinekokoboom O TCfy
Mystroxylon aethiopicum (Thunb.) Loes. 4 Cape Cherry, Safraanbas, Koeboehout M E O FTC
Putterlickia pyracantha (L.) Endl. 1 Wolwedoring, FTC
Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus Walp. 14 Kershout, Cherry Wood M O FTCfy
Robsonodendron maritimum (Bolus) R.H.Archer 1 Duinesybas FTC
Commelinaceae
Commelina africana L. 2 Yellow Wandering Jew M FT
Crassulaceae FM
Cotyledon orbiculata L. 8 Plakkies, Varkoor, Kouterie M E FTC
Crassula atropurpurea (Haw.) D.Dietr. 1 Persplakkie GM T
Crassula cultrata L. 4 Plakkiebos GM T
Crassula expansa Aiton 1 Strepies GM TC
Crassula nudicaulis L. 1 Skraalplakkie GM TC
Crassula orbicularis L. 2 Klipblom M FT
Crassula ovata (Mill.) Druce 1 Plakkieblaar, Karky, t’karekey M E T
Crassula pellucida subsp. marginalis
(Dryand) Tolkein 4 GM FTfy
Crassula tetragona L. 1 Karkai M T
Cucurbitaceae FM
Kedrostis nana Cogn. 5 Stinkpatat, Bospatat, Karu M E FT
Zehneria scabra Sond. 2 CapeZehneria M E FTC
Cyperaceae
Carex aethiopica Schkuhr 6 African Tussock Sedge E FC
*Cyperus rotundus L. 4 Nutgrass, Watergras, Uintjie M E
Ficinia nodosa
(Rottb.)Goetgh.,Muasya&D.A.Simpson 2 Vleibiesie TC
Ficinia ramosissima Kunth 2 Biesie Tfy
Ficinia bergiana Kunth 1 Biesie, Rush
Isolepis sororia Kunth 1 Sedge
Schoenus nigricans L. 1 Black Bog Rush
Tetraria involucrata (Rottb.) C.B.Clarke 1 Rush, Biesie fy
Dennstaedtiaceae (Aspleniaceae)
Pteridium aquilinum subsp. capense
(Thunb.) C.Chr. 1 Bracken Fern M Ffy
Dipsacaceae
Scabiosa incisa Mill. 1 Wild Scabious, Pisgoedbossie M T
Table 1 (continued)Klasies River species list 2013 to 2015.
Synonyms are italicised in brackets - aliens marked with *. M = medicinal, E = edible, O = other use. GM = Genus reported in the literature
as medicinal, GE = edible, GO = other use. FM = Family reported in the literature as important medicinally. F = forest, T = thicket, C =
coastal, fy = Fynbos.
22
Pl. Ecol. Evol. 150 (1), 2017
Table 1 (continued)Klasies River species list 2013 to 2015.
Synonyms are italicised in brackets - aliens marked with *. M = medicinal, E = edible, O = other use. GM = Genus reported in the literature
as medicinal, GE = edible, GO = other use. FM = Family reported in the literature as important medicinally. F = forest, T = thicket, C =
coastal, fy = Fynbos.
Taxon No of Areas
present Common name Uses Veg type
Dryopteridaceae
Rumohra adiantiformis (G.Forst.) Ching 1 Seven Week Fern – FCfy
Ebenaceae FM
Diospyros dichrophylla (Gand.) De Winter 7 Star Apple, Koolhout, Tolbos,
Hotnotstolletjie M E O FTCfy
Euclea racemosa L. 5 Kersiebos, See-ghwarrie M E FTCfy
Ericaceae
Erica glandulosa subsp. fourcadei
(L.Bolus)E.G.H.Oliv.&I.M.Oliv. 2 Erica O fy
Erica pectinifolia Salisb. 1 Erica O fy
Erica peltata Andrews 1 Ker-ker, Raasheide O
Euphorbiaceae FM
Acalypha ecklonii Baill. 3 Katpisbossie GM FT
Acalypha peduncularis E.Mey. ex Meisn.
(incl. A. zeyheri Baill.) 1 Besembos M T
Adenocline acuta (Thunb.) Baill. 5 Spurge M E FT
Euphorbia erythrina Link 2 Pismelkbos GM T
Fabaceae FM
*Acacia cyclops Cunn. ex Don 14 Port Jackson, Rooipitjie, Makboom M O
Dipogon lignosus (L.) Verdc. 2 Wild pea M E FTCfy
Erythrina cara Thunb. 1Coral Tree M FT
Indigofera porrectaEckl.&Zeyh. 3 Leeuhoutjie, Louhoud M E
Indigofera tomentosaEckl.&Zeyh. 1 Louhoud GM
Psoralea repens P.J.Bergius 1 Creeping Psoralea M TC
Rhynchosia caribaea (Jacq.) DC. 2 Vaalertjie M F
Tephrosia capensis (Jacq.) Pers. 3 Rankbossie, Platertjie M Tfy
Tephrosia grandiora (Aiton) Pers. 1 Rooiertjie M T
Trifolium burchellianum Ser. 5 Wild Clover M
Vigna vexillata (L.) A.Rich. 1Wild Sweetpea, Wilde-ertjie E –
Gentianaceae FM
Chironia peduncularis Lindl. 1 Christmas Berry, Aambeibossie GM C
Geraniaceae FM
Geranium incanum Burm.f. 1 Ou-meid-op-die-werf, Mickie-Jan-Willem M E Tfy
Pelargonium capitatum (L.) L’Hér. 8 Wild Geranium, Malva M TC
Pelargonium grossularioides (L.) L’Hér. 2 Rooirabasam M
Pelargonium odoratissimum (L.) L’Hér. 1 Scented Geranium, Malva M
Hyacinthaceae
Albuca virens(Lindl.)J.C.Manning&Goldblatt
(Ornithogalum tenuifolium)6 Slymuintjie, Jikui, Gambry E T
Drimia unioraJ.C.Manning&Goldblatt 5 Fairy Snowdrop GM
Ornithogalum graminifolium Thunb. 3 Grass Chink GM T
Veltheimia bracteata Harv. ex Baker 1 Sandlelie, Quarobe, Kwarobe GM FT
23
van Wijk et al., Modern vegetation in the Klasies River cultural landscape
Table 1 (continued)Klasies River species list 2013 to 2015.
Synonyms are italicised in brackets - aliens marked with *. M = medicinal, E = edible, O = other use. GM = Genus reported in the literature
as medicinal, GE = edible, GO = other use. FM = Family reported in the literature as important medicinally. F = forest, T = thicket, C =
coastal, fy = Fynbos.
Taxon No of Areas
present Common name Uses Veg type
Hypoxidaceae FM
Spiloxene trifurcillata (Nel) Fourc. (Pauridia) 2 Sterretjie GM
Hypoxis cf. stellipilis Ker Gawl. 2 African Potato, Toevanna M O TC
Iridaceae
Aristea ecklonii Eckl. ex Klatt 1 Blue Stars M
Bobartia orientalis Gillett 1 Geelblombiesie GE Tfy
Chasmanthe aethiopica (L.) N.E.Br. 2 Suurkanol GE FTC
Watsonia knysnana L.Bolus 1 Watsonia GE
Juncaginaceae
Triglochin elongata Buchenau 1 Bulbous Arrowgrass M E C
Triglochin striataRuiz&Pav. 1Three-rib Arrowgrass GM TC
Lamiaceae FM
Clerodendrum glabrum E.Mey. 1 Tinderwood M FT
Leonotis leonurus (L.) R.Br. 1 Duiwelstwak, Lion’s Ears, Wildedagga M E FT
Salvia africana-lutea L. 3 Strandsalie, Bruinsalie M TCfy
Stachys aethiopica L. 3 Katpisbossie, Kruie M FTCfy
Linaceae
Linum africanum L. 5 African Flax M Cfy
Lobeliaceae (Campanulaceae) FM
Lobelia anceps L.f. 2 Leafy Lobelia M FC
Lobelia cuneifoliaLink&Otto 5 Wedge Leaved Lobelia M F
Lobelia accida (C.Presl) A.DC. 6 Wild Lobelia M
Monopsis decipiens (Sond.) Thulin 2Wild Violet M –
Malvaceae
Grewia occidentalis L. 7 Raisin bush, Kruisbessie, Vierpuntjies,
Booghout, Pylhout M E O FTC
*Hibiscus trionum L. 1 Wild Hibiscus M
Meliaceae
Ekebergia capensis Sparrm. 1 Cape Ash, Essenhout M T
Menispermaceae FM
Cissampelos torulosaE.Mey.exHarv.&Sond. 1 Dawidtjieswortel M FT
Moraceae
Ficus burtt-davyi Hutch. 7 Wild Fig, Rankvy, Hottentotstou E O FTC
Myricaceae FM
Morella cordifolia (L.) Killick 1 Waxberry, Gammabos M E O FTCfy
Morella serrata (Lam.) Killick 1 Waterolier, Bergwasbessie M Ffy
Myrsinaceae
Rapanea gilliana (Sond.) Mez 1 Dwarf Cape Beech, Kleinblaarboekenhout, GM TCfy
Rapanea melanophloeos (L.) Mez 5 Cape Beech, Boekenhout M FC
Nymphaeaceae FM
Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea Burm.f. 1 Blue Water Lily M E
24
Pl. Ecol. Evol. 150 (1), 2017
Table 1 (continued)Klasies River species list 2013 to 2015.
Synonyms are italicised in brackets - aliens marked with *. M = medicinal, E = edible, O = other use. GM = Genus reported in the literature
as medicinal, GE = edible, GO = other use. FM = Family reported in the literature as important medicinally. F = forest, T = thicket, C =
coastal, fy = Fynbos.
Taxon No of Areas
present Common name Uses Veg type
Oleaceae
Chionanthus foveolatus (E.Mey.) Stearn (Linociera) 4 Pock Ironwood M FTC
Jasminum angulare Vahl 1 Wild Jasmine M FT
Olea capensis L. 3 Wild Olive, Ironwood M E O FC
Orchidaceae
Bonatea speciosa (L.f.) Willd. 4 Wood Orchid GM FT
Satyrium parviorum Sw. 3 Orchid M
Satyrium princeps Bolus 1 Orchid GM TCFy
Oxalidaceae
Oxalis smithianaEckl.&Zeyh. 6 Suuring E
Penaeaceae
Penaea cneorum Meerb. 1 Brickleaf GM Ffy
Pittosporaceae
Pittosporum viridiorum Sims 2 Cheesewood, Kaarsuur M FC
Plantaginaceae FM
Plantago crassifolia Forssk. 5 Weeblaar GM TC
Plumbaginaceae
Limonium scabrum Kuntze 6 Sea Lavender, Brakbossie TCfy
Poaceae
Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. 1 Bermuda Grass M TCfy
Digitaria eriantha Steud. 2 Fingergrass M O T
Ehrharta calycina Sm. 5 Polgras, Bushman Grass FTCfy
Ehrharta erecta Lam. 1 Panic Veldtgrass – FT
Eragrostis capensis (Thunb.) Trin. 1 Love Grass, Hartjiegras GM FT
Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees 1 Weeping Lovegrass E T
Helictotrichon hirtulum (Steud.) Schweick. 1 Oat grass
Heteropogon contortus
(L.)P.Beauv.exRoem.&Schult. 1 Tanglehead M Tfy
Pentameris pallida
(Thunb.)Galley&H.P.Linder(Pentaschistis)1 Duinegras T
Polypogon strictus Nees 1 Baardgras C
Setaria sp. 1 Foxtail Grass GM T
Sporobolus africanus(Poir.)Robyns&Tournay 1 Paramatta Grass M TCfy
Sporobolus virginicus (L.) Kunth 11 Brakkweek GM TC
Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter) Kuntze 16 Bualo,Strandkweek M E FTCfy
Themeda triandra Forssk. 2 Rooigras M TFy
Tristachya leucothrix Nees (Apochaete hispida) 1 Trident grass fy
*Vulpia myuros (L.) C.C.Gmel. 1 Wildegars, Wild Barley – T
Polygalaceae FM
Muraltia squarrosa (L.f.) DC. 1 Skilpadbos M Tfy
Polygala ericaefolia DC. 1 Milkwort GM Tfy
25
van Wijk et al., Modern vegetation in the Klasies River cultural landscape
Table 1 (continued)Klasies River species list 2013 to 2015.
Synonyms are italicised in brackets - aliens marked with *. M = medicinal, E = edible, O = other use. GM = Genus reported in the literature
as medicinal, GE = edible, GO = other use. FM = Family reported in the literature as important medicinally. F = forest, T = thicket, C =
coastal, fy = Fynbos.
Taxon No of Areas
present Common name Uses Veg type
Polygonaceae FM
Rumex sagittatus Thunb. 1 Climbing Sorrel, Ranksuring M E TC
Proteaceae
Leucadendron salignum R.Br. 2 Tolbos, Geelbos M O Cfy
Leucadendron spissifolium I.J.Williams 1 Tolbos
Leucospermum cuneiforme (Burm.f.) Rourke 1 Pincushion fy
Protea coronata Lam. 1 Green Protea GM
Protea cynaroides (L.) L. 1 King Protea GM fy
Protea neriifolia R.Br. 1 Protea GM fy
Protea tenax R.Br. 1 Ground Protea GM fy
Rhamnaceae
Phylica litoralis(Eckl.&Zeyh.)D.Dietr. 3 Luisbos TCfy
Phylica purpurea Sond. 4 Luisbos Ffy
Rhamnus prinoides L’Hér. 2 Blinkblaar, Hondepishout M E FT
Scutia myrtina (Burm.f.) Kurz 6 Katdooring, Rank M E O FTC
Restionaceae
Restio leptoclados Mast. (Ischyrolepis) 4 Besemgoed O fy
Restio triticeus Rottb.1 Besemgoed O TCfy
Thamnochortus fruticosus P.J.Bergius 2 Thatching reed O
Rosaceae
Cliortia ilicifolia L. 1 Doringtee, Rysbos M fy
Cliortia linearifoliaEckl.&Zeyh. 1 Glastee GM Tfy
Rubus pinnatus Willd. 1 Wild Blackberry, Braambossie, Vaalbraam M E F
Rubiaceae FM
Burchellia bubalina (L.f.) Sims 1 Wild Pomegranate M FTC
Canthium inerme (L.f.) Kuntze 2 Bokdrol, Hardepeer M E FTC
Canthium spinosum
(KlotzschexEckl.&Zeyh.)Kuntze 2 Doringtou M E FTC
Psydrax obovata
(KlotzschexEckl.&Zeyh.)Bridson 3 Psydrax, Kwar, Quar M FT
Rutaceae FM
Agathosma apiculata
E.Mey.exBartl.&H.L.Wendl. 4AnysBuchu,Knoelbuchu,
Hottentotsboegoe M Cfy
Agathosma ovata (Thunb.) Pillans 2 False Buchu, Valsboegoe, Rondeblaar
boegoe M E FTfy
Agathosma serpyllaceaLicht.exRoem.&Schult. 1 Steenbok Buchu, Steenbokboegoe M O
Clausena anisata (Willd.) Hook.f. ex Benth. 1 Perdepis M FT
Coleonema pulchellum I.Williams 1 Confetti Bush, Aasbossie, Muishondboegoe M T
Zanthoxylum capense (Thunb.) Harv. 5 Perdepram, Wildekardamom M O FTC
Salicaceae (Flacourtiaceae) FM
Scolopia zeyheri(Nees)Szyszył. 4Doringpeer, Wolwedoring M FT
26
Pl. Ecol. Evol. 150 (1), 2017
Table 1 (continued)Klasies River species list 2013 to 2015.
Synonyms are italicised in brackets - aliens marked with *. M = medicinal, E = edible, O = other use. GM = Genus reported in the literature
as medicinal, GE = edible, GO = other use. FM = Family reported in the literature as important medicinally. F = forest, T = thicket, C =
coastal, fy = Fynbos.
Taxon No of Areas
present Common name Uses Veg type
Santalaceae
Colpoon compressum P.J.Bergius (Osyris) 7 Bloupruim, Basbessie, Looibos,
’Nantegara, Namtarri, Notchou M E O FTC
Thesidium fragile (Thunb.) Sond. 5 Teringbossie GM TCfy
Sapindaceae FM
Allophylus decipiens (E.Mey.) Radlk. 5 Rooibessie M FTC
Sapotaceae
Sideroxylon inerme L. 10 Milkwood M E FTCfy
Scrophulariaceae
Chaenostoma polyanthum Benth. (Sutera) 3 Sutera, Ruikbossie GM T
Chaenostoma cordatum (Thunb.) Benth. (Sutera) 4 Sutera, Ruikbossie GM FT
Jamesbrittenia microphylla (L.f.) Hilliard (Sutera) 1 GM Tfy
Selago corymbosa L. 1 Slakkiebos, Aambeibos M T
Selago myrtifolia Rchb. 1 Bitterbos GM T
Teedia lucida (Aiton) Rudolphi 1 M FT
Sinopteridaceae (Pteridaceae, Adiantaceae)
Cheilanthes hirta Sw. 1 Kleinvaring, Oorstokkies M F
Solanaceae FM
Lycium ferocissimum Miers 10 Wolvebessie, Slangbessie, Kariedoring M E O T
Solanum africanum Mill. (americanum) 7 Dronkbessie M TC
Solanum linnaeanumHepper&P.-M.L.Jaeger 5 Gifappel, Bitterappel M T
Solanum retroexum Dunal (Solanum nigrum) 1 Sobo-sobo, Nasgal, Wolwebos M E T
Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal 3 Geneesvelletjie, Geneesblaar M T
Stilbaceae (Loganiaceae, Buddlejaceae)
Nuxia oribunda Benth. 11 Wildevlier, Wild Elder M F
Theophrastaceae (Samolaceae)
Samolus porosus Thunb. 2 Water Pimpernel GM C
Samolus valerandi L. 1 Brookweed M
Thurniaceae (Prioniaceae)
Prionium serratum (L.f.) Drège 1 Palmiet, E
Thymelaeaceae FM
Passerina corymbosa Eckl. ex C.H.Wright 1 Bakbossie GM Cfy
Passerina ericoides L. 2 Bakbos, Christmas berry, Dronkbessie,
Gonna M O
Passerina rigida Wikstr. 7 Bakbos, Gonnabas M O FTC
Struthiola hirsuta Wikstr. 1Roemenaggie, Aand gonna – fy
Urticaceae
Didymodoxa cara(Thunb.)Friis&Wilmot-Dear 2 Nettle FT
Vitaceae
Rhoicissus digitata(L.f.)Gilg&M.Brandt 17 Wild grape, Wildepatat, Boesmansdruif M E O FTC
Rhoicissus tomentosa(Lam.)Wild&R.B.Drumm. 2 Forest grape, Bobbejaantou M E FTC
27
van Wijk et al., Modern vegetation in the Klasies River cultural landscape
Vegetation Type – references
Total No spp.
in table 1 per
reference
No spp.
collected
per veg type
% of
268 spp.
collected
FOREST
Southern Cape Forests Geldenhuys (1993) 93
FOREST
100 20%
Southern Afrotemperate Forest (FOz1)Mucina&Rutherford(2006) 18
Southern Coastal Forest (FOz6)Mucina&Rutherford(2006) 13
Tsitsikamma National Park Hanekom et al. (1989) 23
THICKET
Subtropical thicket, Subtropical Thicket Ecosystem Project (STEP)
Vlok&Euston-Brown(2002) 148
THICKET
163 33%
Humansdorp region, Kararian thicket Cowling (1982) 27
Subtropical Dune Thicket (AZs3)Mucina&Rutherford(2006) 38
Gamtoos Thicket (AT4)Mucina&Rutherford(2006) 39
COASTAL
Eastern & Southern Cape Coasts Lubke&vanWijk(1998a,1998b) 73
COASTAL
109 22%
Tsitsikamma National Park Hanekom et al. (1989) 52
Cape Seashore Vegetation (AZd3)Mucina&Rutherford(2006) 20
Algoa Dune Strandveld (AZs1)Mucina&Rutherford(2006) 26
FYNBOS
Humansdorp region, S Coast dune fynbos Cowling (1982) 19
FYNBOS
73 15%
Southern Cape Dune Fynbos (FFd11)Mucina&Rutherford(2006) 20
Humansdorp region, Grassy fynbos Cowling (1982) 31
Tsitsikamma National Park Hanekom et al. (1989) 31
Absent in referenced literature 55 55 10%
Table 2Collected species grouped into vegetation types according to cited references. Some species are listed in more than one
vegetation type.
as a medicinal genus, it is listed in table 1 and in the elec-
tronic appendix as a ‘medicinal genus’ (GM). Similarly, an
edible genus or a genus with other uses is indicated as GE or
GO respectively. There is often substitution of species within
a genus by users depending on what is locally available (Y.
van Wijk, Rhodes University, South Africa, unpubl. thesis)
which validates our use of these categories included here in
order to show more clearly the overall high level of useful
plants present in the Klasies area.
In addition, the vegetation types in which each taxon
occurslocallyis noted(tables1 & 2).The vegetation types
– forest, thicket, coastal vegetation or fynbos – have been
identiedaccordingto specieschecklists from therelevant
literature (Cowling 1982, Hanekom et al. 1989, Geldenhuys
1993, Lubke & van Wijk 1998a, 1998b, Vlok & Euston-
Brown 2002, Mucina & Rutherford 2006). Mucina & Ru-
therford list taxa for each vegetation type but make it clear
thatthese are onlythe“important taxa”(Mucina& Ruther-
ford 2006: 6) and not every species to be found in that spe-
cicvegetationtype.Many of the species collectedatKla-
sies River occur in more than one vegetation type and are
therefore included in each type.
Tables 1 and 2 show that the vegetation we sampled with-
in the wider 5 km radius at Klasies River is comprised of
thicket (163 spp., 33%), forest (100 spp., 20%) and coastal
species (109 spp., 22%). Of the collected species, 49 co-oc-
cur in forest, thicket and coastal vegetation, 78 in forest and
thicket, but only nineteen occur in all four vegetation types.
The 73 species associated with fynbos vegetation account
for only 15%. The 55 species not included in any reference
lists contribute 10%. Thicket and forest types form a mosaic
structure in much of the study area with many thorny taxa
which form dense, impenetrable stands (g. 5A). Thicket
and forest species are particularly dominant in the areas sam-
pled close to the cave sites – collecting areas 3, 8, 8a, 9, 12,
13, 14 and 17 in the vicinity of Main Site, as well as Areas 6,
7and15nearCaves3and4(g.4).Coastalvegetationoc-
curs mainly in areas 2a, 4a, 5, 10, 10a, 11, 16, 18 and 19 and
is very species rich. The coastal species are associated with
thesea-sprayaectedlittoralandhummockdunevegetation.
Most of the fynbos species listed in table 1 were growing in
asmallpatchoffynbosinarea20(g.3),whilesomefynbos
taxawerealsopresentontheplateauinareas14and23(gs
3&4,electronicappendix).
For purposes of comparison, species lists were obtained
from the Integrated Biodiversity Information System (SIBIS)
of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SAN-
BI, http://biodiversityadvisor.sanbi.org/online-biodiversity-
data/sabif-3/sibis/). SIBIS check lists for four coastal 1:50
000 grids including and surrounding the Klasies River area
–3424AA,AB, BA&BB – were compared with our spe-
cies list. The results of this study show that the Klasies grid
Clarkson 3424AB is signicantly under-represented on SI-
28
Pl. Ecol. Evol. 150 (1), 2017
BIS, with only 69 of the 268 species we collected (table 1)
appearing on the SIBIS database. The lack of data captured
by SIBIS (now Brahms) for the Klasies grid, and the lack
ofothersurveysundertakenorpublishedspecicallyforthis
grid, precludes the use of this data for analysis. The Cape
St Francis 3424BB grid, representing the area to the east of
Klasies, is however better collected, doubtless due to years
of collecting by Richard Cowling and the local Fourcade
Botanical Club (http://stfranciskrommetrust.co.za/outreach-
fourcade/). Of the 922 species in the SIBIS list for 3424BB,
137 species occur in our Klasies species list; at only 15% of
the SIBIS total, this is still minimal, and again does not allow
for useful data analysis.
A large proportion of the shrubs and trees listed in table 1,
particularly in forest and thicket vegetation types, have me-
dicinal properties and/or bear edible fruits. Table 3 shows that
67% of the 268 species collected by us and listed in table
1, were reported as useful during our ongoing ethnobotani-
calsurveyand in the literaturecitedpreviously(in the rst
paragraph of this section). In addition, 23% of the species
are listed in table 1 as GM (medicinal genera in the literature
cited) which brings the overall useful tally to 90%, while only
10% had no reported uses. Table 4 presents a breakdown of
the use categories – medicinal (M), edible (E) or other uses
(O). Many taxa are reported in more than one use category.
Of the total reported uses for the 179 individual species, 57%
were medicinal, 30% edible and 13% had other uses.
DISCUSSION
In this review and analysis of the vegetation we provide a
new detailed description and characterisation of the Kla-
sies River landscape. Our work extends the current knowl-
edge of vegetation in this area signicantly although there
is still much research and systematic plant collecting to be
done before the composition of its vegetation is understood
more fully. We have shown that the Klasies River landscape,
which forms a part of the SIBIS 3424 AB map vegetation
record, is under-represented and our collection of a restricted
area has added 168 species to this record. The fact that the
Klasies area has not been well collected previously, and that
the coastal strip is privately owned with restricted entrance
bypermissiononly,as wellasthe dicultyincollectingin
impenetrablesectionsandon the steep clis, could explain
why 55 species or 10% of the species we collected are not
present in any of the lists referenced in table 2. Some ex-
otic species recorded such as Chenopodium spp., Withania
somnifera, Solanum nigrum / retroexum, Stellaria media,
Cyperus rotundus and Centella asiatica are not listed in the
literature researched, possibly because they are considered,
perhaps erroneously, as relatively recent and weedy intro-
ductions to the area. It is thought-provoking that most of
these weedy species occur frequently at archaeological sites
throughout the southern Cape (Y. van Wijk, Rhodes Univer-
sity, South Africa, pers. obs.) and all are widely used today.
The collection of a range of modern botanical specimens
has also enabled us to address the perception that the Klasies
sitesarelocatedinfynbosvegetation.Mucina&Rutherford
(2006), for example, characterise the Klasies River area as
Southern Cape Dune Fynbos on the Algoa sediments and
Tsitsikamma Sandstone Fynbos on the plateau. This might
have led to the perception that fynbos comprises “96.83%
of the major habitat types represented in a 10 km radius
around Klasies River” (Marean et al. 2014: 170). However,
as shown in tables 1 & 2, the vegetation in the immediate
vicinity of the sites is a complex mosaic consisting of mainly
thicket, forest and coastal vegetation types, with some fyn-
bos elements.
The great diversity of vegetation types – a feature typical
ofthesouth-eastern Cape(Cowling1984,Cowling &Potts
2015) – is due to a variety of factors which have resulted in
the extremely varied terrain providing a wide range of micro-
habitats and micro-climates often associated with distinc-
tive vegetation types or even biomes. These factors include
theunderlyinggeologyandassociatedsoils,re,aspectand
salt-laden wind exposure. Where the sea winds and salt spray
blows unhindered, the vegetation is no more than 10 to 20
cm tall yet remains species rich and could be called ‘Lillipu-
tian’ (Acocks 1988) coastal thicket-forest. Where the valleys
or slopes are protected from the prevailing winds by clis
and ridges, the thicket-forest comes into its own and trees as
high as 3 to 4 metres are present, often within just a few me-
tres of dwarfed examples of the same species. For example,
isolated dwarfed Sideroxylon inerme (milkwood) trees only
20 cm in height occur in area 2 whereas dwarf milkwood
forest 20 cm high, intertwined with thorny Lycium ferocissi-
# individual species reported as being useful
(ie: medicinal, edible, other, see below)
# species in genera
referenced as useful # nul uses Total species listed
in table 1
179 62 27 268
67% 23% 10% 100%
Table 3Quantication of useful species for the 268 species listed in table 1.
Medicinal Edible Other Total reported uses
for 179 spp.
148 77 36 261
57% 30% 13% 100%
Table 4 Uses allocated to the 179 individual useful species in table 3.
Many species have more than one use category.
29
van Wijk et al., Modern vegetation in the Klasies River cultural landscape
mum, is found higher up the same south facing slope in area
3. This abruptly becomes 1–3 m impenetrable milkwood for-
estasthegroundsuddenlyfallsawaytothenorth(g.5A).
Afrotemperate coastal forest 3–6 m tall survives in shel-
tered areas below Caves 3 and 4 (g. 5B), below Cave 5,
and above area 18. On low lying sections along the coast,
such as areas 10, 10a, and sections of 18, the vegetation con-
sists of salt-tolerant grass, low herbs, geophytes and shrubs,
many of which are succulent. Large tracts of closely packed
Trachyandra divaricata (Veldkool) in this grassy seashore
vegetation (g. 5C) promise good pickings of owerbuds
for a nutritious green bredie (stew) in Spring (van Wyk &
Gericke 2000, and Y. Van Wijk, Rhodes University, South
Africa, pers. comm.). A variety of cli dwelling succulent
plant species populate the cracks and ledges of the weath-
eredanderodedquarziticsandstoneoftheclisaboveareas
8,9 and11(g.5D).Thiscli vegetationincludes treeand
thicket species as well as geophytes such as the rare Saty-
rium princeps and succulents such as Gasteria acinacifolia.
The richness and complexity of the vegetation is not ad-
equately shown by the presence and absence data in table 1.
While fynbos is regarded as more species rich than thicket
andforestvegetationtypes,itisconnedtosmallpatcheson
the inland plateau in the broader study area. The coastal veg-
etation is however very species rich. An example of this is, to
some extent, illustrated by listing the surprisingly numerous
species collected in one measured square metre of what ap-
pearedatrstglancetobesimplylowgrassygroundcover.
This square metre in area 8 contained 21 dierent species,
includingtrees,herbs,creepersandgeophytes(seeg.6).
The soil underlying this small plot is nutrient-rich, spongy
with humus, and dark black-brown in colour. This topsoil, a
fertile loam, covers the fossil dune(s) and is also evident in
areas4,8,9,12, 13 and 14 (g. 4).Thisdarkbrownearth
is the result of millennia of thicket growth, die back, peren-
nial leaf shedding, and capture of wind-blown sands and soil
from the coast and inland (Tinley 1985, Y. van Wijk, Rhodes
University, South Africa, pers. comm.). The 80–90 cm depth
Figure 5 – A, impenetrable vegetation in upper area 3: Lycium ferocissimum, Sideroxylon inerme and Hypoestes aristata; B, forest patch
inarea15 andprotectivefore-duneinarea16,locatedbetweenandbelowcaves3and4;C,area10&10a,largepatchesofTrachyandra
divaricata(veldkool,wildcabbage)intheforeground;D,uppersectionofarea11.Clivegetation.PhotographsbyY.vanWijk.
30
Pl. Ecol. Evol. 150 (1), 2017
of the dark humus-rich loamy soil covering the fossil dune
directlyabovetheKlasiesRivermainsite,(g.7)isanindi-
cation of the ancient origin of the dense thicket community
in this area. Although climate oscillations during the Pleisto-
cenewouldhave aectedthedistribution ofthicket,thicket
extent in the Klasies region has probably changed little since
the end of the Late Pleistocene (Cowling et al. 2005, Potts
et al. 2013). In contrast to the loams, the plateau soils are
mainly infertile, poorly drained, duplex forms (sand overly-
ingclayat0.5–1mdepth)(Strydom&Schafer1997).
Inthecontextof the total SouthAfrican ora of nearly
24,000 species, only 3,000 or 12.5%, have been reported as
medicinal (van Wyk & Gericke 2000, Arnold et al. 2002).
The 57% of medicinal plants out of a total of 268 species
collectednear the sitesatKlasies (tables1& 4)indicatesa
much higher proportion of medicinal species than would be
expected, and the 43% of species which are edible or have
other uses is also impressive. Edible species and those with
otheruseshavenotbeenquantiedforSouthAfricaandthe
dicultyofdoing so isformidable.Ofthe 78 familiescol-
lected (table 1), all except three are reported as useful, while
33 of these families have been shown through chemical and
pharmaceutical research to be particularly active medicinally
(Hutchingsetal.1996,vanWyk&Gericke2000,Zhuetal.
2011).
Of the 163 thicket species present, 56 species (34%) are
reported as edible, lending support to De Vynck et al. (2016a)
who demonstrate that thicket taxa comprise the bulk of ed-
ible species in Cape south coast landscapes. Geophytes or
underground storage organs (USOs), are plentiful and varied
▲Figure 6 – One square metre with 21 species present. Adenocline
acuta, Senecio elegans, Senecio angulatus, Cotula coronipifolia,
Carpobrotus deliciosus, Crassula pellucida subsp. marginalis,
Rumex saggitatus, Hypoestes aristata, Trachyandra divaricata,
Ornithogalum graminifolium, Indigofera porrecta, Cynanchum
natalicum, Putterlickia pyracantha, Ficus burtt-dayvi, Acokanthera
oppositifolia, Cineraria geifolia, Centella asiatica, Stenotaphrum
secundatum, Ehrharta calycina, Polypogon strictus, Sporobolus
virginicus. (Compound Voucher YvWijk 6382).
►Figure 7 – A vertical cutting through the fossil dune in area 13.
Showing depth of loam supporting dense thicket vegetation.
31
van Wijk et al., Modern vegetation in the Klasies River cultural landscape
(table 1), but are well hidden in dense thicket and ground-
covers when not in ower.Year-round collectionof speci-
mens and intimate knowledge of the area is necessary to en-
suretheyareadequatelyquantied. Itisinterestingthattwo
fresh-water plant species, Prionium serratum and Nymphaea
nouchali var. caerulea, were collected within the wider 5 km
radius. Although neither are listed in the vegetation literature
cited, both are important because they could provide carbo-
hydrates in larger quantities year-round than the seasonal
geophytes (Fox & Norwood-Young 1982, Wrangham et al
2009, De Vynck 2014).
The presence of so many useful taxa puts the richness of
the Klasies River area in perspective. The large number of
medicinal taxa and those with edible fruit, leaves, bark and
USOs available, plus the presence of highly nutritious sea-
weeds (Anderson et al. 1989, Buchholz et al. 2012) and the
very important availability of much needed salt (Brigand
&Weller2015),would have meant that coastal areas were
sought-after, resource rich areas because of their abundant
and useful plant wealth, as well as readily available seafood
and faunal prey.
The botanical data collected by us during the present
study, makes it possible to compare the vegetation at Klasies
with that at 74 other archaeological sites in the southern and
south-eastern Cape which form part of a larger study about
the connection through time between humans and the sur-
rounding vegetation at habitation sites, being undertaken by
Y. van Wijk (Rhodes University, South Africa, unpubl. res.).
This connection begs further investigation of the nature of
the areas associated with archaeological sites, for example,
about how ‘pristine’ they actually are. Concepts such as
the synergistic co-evolution of plants and humans, and the
anthropogenic eects on vegetation pattern can be seen as
distinct possibilities. The results of vegetation sampling at
Klasies River show considerable overlap with the vegetation
at other important southern Cape coastal sites, for example,
Nelson’s Bay, Pinnacle Point and Blombos. Klasies River
has however a much higher species diversity than other sites.
Our work clearly indicates the need for thorough and sys-
tematiccollecting atarchaeologicallysignicantsitesinthe
Cape region. This is particularly important considering the
many archaeological sites that occur in the area, and the need
for and increasing interest in comparative material for further
archaeobotanical research. The collections provide data for
theidenticationofandcomprehensiveresearchonthe ar-
chaeobotanical remains in terms of past vegetation and plant
use, and will provide further environmental proxies for the
interpretation and contextualisation of human behaviour in
the past. It will also contribute to the broader debate about the
context in which the development of anatomically modern
humans took place.
SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
SupplementarydataareavailableinExcelleatPlant Ecol-
ogy and Evolution, Supplementary Data Site (http://www.
ingentaconnect.com/content/botbel/plecevo/supp-data) and
consists of all plant species collected in 1984/1985 and from
2013 to 2015 within 5 km of the Klasies River archaeologi-
cal sites in 24 areas. Vegetation types, use categories, and
voucher numbers are included.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank the following individuals and in-
stitutions: Gideon F. Smith and Hugh Glen are thanked for
their supportive and helpful comments; The Struwig Ger-
meshuysen Trust for permission to work within the Klasies
River landscape; Kobus (Bolla) Burger and family for as-
sistance and support; Iziko:SA Museum for access to stored
Klasies River botanical material; John Almond for helping
M.L Tusenius with the collecting and sawing of many of the
wood specimens for charcoal research; The local inhabitants
of Klasies River and Clarkson area for help in general and for
information regarding plant uses past and present. The work
of S. Wurz, and Y. van Wijk (in part) is based on research
supported by the National Research Foundation. Any opin-
ion,ndingandconclusionorrecommendationexpressedin
this material is that of the authors and the National Research
Foundation does not accept any liability in this regard.
REFERENCES
Acocks J.P.H. (1988) Veld types of South Africa. 3rd Ed. Memoirs
of the Botanical Survey of South Africa 57: 1–146. South Afri-
ca, Botanical Research Institute, Dept. of Agriculture and Water
Supply.
Anderson R.J., Simons R.H., Jarman N.G. (1989) Commercial sea-
weeds in southern Africa: a review of utilization and research.
South African Journal of Marine Science 8: 277–299. https://
doi.org/10.2989/02577618909504568
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2016) APG III [online]. Available
from http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/apweb/ [accessed 1
Sep. 2016].
Arnold T.H., Prentice C.A., Hawker L.C., Snyman E.E., Tomalin
M., Crouch N.R., Pottas-Bircher C. (2002) Medicinal and magi-
cal plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia
13. Pretoria, National Botanical Institute.
Avery D.M. (1986) Preliminary interpretation of micromammalian
remains from the 1984 excavations at Klasies River Mouth 1A.
Palaeoecology of Africa 17: 39–47.
Avery D.M. (1987) Late Pleistocene coastal environment of the
Southern Cape Province of South Africa: Micromammals from
Klasies River Mouth. Journal of Archaeological Science: 405–
421. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-4403(87)90028-8
Batten A., Bokelmann H., Manning J. (2001) Eastern Cape: South
Africanowerguide.CapeTown,NBD/PaarlPrint.
Binneman J.N.F. (1995) Symbolic construction of communities
during the Holocene Later Stone Age in the south-eastern Cape.
PhD thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg,
South Africa. Available from http://hdl.handle.net/10539/20828
[accessed 5 Aug. 2016].
BraunK.(2014)InuenceoftheAgulhasCurrentontheterrestrial
climate of South Africa as derived from speleothems. PhD the-
sis, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Brigand R., Weller O. (eds) (2015) Archaeology of salt: approach-
ing an invisible past. Leiden, Sidestone Press.
Buchholz C.M., Krause G., Buck B.H. (2012) Seaweed and man.
In: Wiencke C., Bischof K. (eds) Seaweed biology: 471–493.
32
Pl. Ecol. Evol. 150 (1), 2017
Berlin & Heidelberg, Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-
642-28451-9_22
Butzer KW. (1978) Sediment stratigraphy of the Middle Stone Age
sequence at Klasies River Mouth, Tsitsikamma Coast, South
Africa. The South African Archaeological Bulletin 33: 141–
151. https://doi.org/10.2307/3888151
Cowling R.M. (1982) Vegetation studies in the Humansdorp region
of the fynbos biome. PhD thesis, UCT, Cape Town, South Af-
rica. Available from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9733 [accessed
20 Nov. 2016].
Cowling R.M. (1984) A syntaxonomic and synecological study
in the Humansdorp region of the fynbos biome. Bothalia 15:
175–228.
Cowling R.M., Heijnis C.E. (2001) Broad Habitat Units as biodi-
versity entities for conservation planning in the Cape Floristic
Region. South African Journal of Botany 67: 15–38. https://doi.
org/10.1016/S0254-6299(15)31087-5
Cowling R.M., Procheş Ş., Vlok J.H.J. (2005) On the origin of
southern African subtropical thicket vegetation. South African
Journal of Botany 71: 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0254-
6299(15)30144-7
CowlingR.M.,PottsA.J.(2015)Climatic,edaphicand reregime
determinants of biome boundaries in the eastern Cape Floristic
Region. South African Journal of Botany 101: 73–81. https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2015.03.182
Crouch N.R., Klopper R.R., Burrows J.E., Burrows S.M. (2011)
Ferns of Southern Africa. Cape Town, Struik Nature.
Deacon H.J. (1986) Beach and coastal deposits, Klasies River (Hu-
mansdorp). In: Illenberger W.K., Smuts W.J. (eds) Tertiary to
recent coastal geology: proceedings of a seminar held at the
University of Port Elizabeth, 23 to 25 January 1986: 24–31. Re-
port no. 12. Port Elizabeth, Institute for Coastal Research.
Deacon H.J., Geleijnse V.B., Thackeray A.I., Thackeray J.F., Tuse-
nius, M.L., Vogel J.C. (1986) Late Pleistocene cave deposits in
the southern Cape: current research at Klasies River. Palaeo-
ecology of Africa 17: 31–37.
Deacon H.J., Geleijnse V.B. (1988) The stratigraphy and sedimen-
tology of the main site sequence, Klasies River, South Africa.
The South African Archaeological Bulletin 43: 5–14. https://
doi.org/10.2307/3887608
Deacon H.J., Talma A.S., Vogel J.C. (1988) Biological and cultural
development of Pleistocene people in an Old World southern
continent. In: Prescott J.R. (ed.) Early man in the southern hem-
isphere: 523–531. Adelaide, Department of Physics and Math-
ematical Physics, University of Adelaide.
Deacon H.J. (1989) Late Pleistocene palaeoecology and archaeol-
ogy in the southern Cape, South Africa. In: Mellars P., Stringer
C.B. (eds) The human revolution: behavioural and biological
perspectives on the origins of modern humans: 547–564. Edin-
burgh, Edinburgh University Press.
Deacon H.J. (1992) Southern Africa and modern human origins.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological
Sciences 337: 177–183. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1992.0095
Deacon H.J. (1993) Planting an idea: an archaeology of Stone Age
gatherers in South Africa. The South African Archaeological
Bulletin 48: 86–93. https://doi.org/10.2307/3888947
Deacon H.J. (1995) Two Late Pleistocene-Holocene archaeologi-
cal depositories from the southern Cape, South Africa. The
South African Archaeological Bulletin 50: 121–131. https://doi.
org/10.2307/3889061
Deacon H.J. (2008) The context of the 1967-8 sample of human
remains from Cave 1 Klasies River Main Site. Goodwin Se-
ries 10: 143–149. Available from: http://www.jstor.org/sta-
ble/40650025 [accessed 20 Nov. 2016].
De Vynck J.C. (2014) Contemporary use and seasonal abundance of
indigenous edible plants (with an emphasis on geophytes) avail-
able to human foragers on the Cape south coast, South Africa.
Master’s thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port
Elizabeth, South Africa.
De Vynck J.C., van Wyk B.-E., Cowling R.M. (2016a) Indigenous
edible plant use by contemporary Khoe-San descendants of
South Africa’s Cape South Coast. South African Journal of Bot-
any 102: 60–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2015.09.002
De Vynck J.C., Cowling R.M., Potts A.J., Marean C.W. (2016b)
Seasonal availability of edible underground and above-
ground carbohydrate resources to foragers on the Cape south
coast, South Africa. Peer-J 4: e1679. https://doi.org/10.7717/
peerj.1679
Du Plessis N. (2015) 4000 years of environmental and climate
change at Eilandvlei: a palynological investigation into the late
Holocene palaeoenvironment of the Wilderness Embayment.
PhD thesis, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Afri-
ca. Available from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15527 [accessed
20 Nov. 2016].
Elkington L. (2012) Morphology, patterns and processes in the
OysterBayheadlandbypassduneeld,SouthAfrica.MScthe-
sis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
Eoin L.C. (2016) Geophytes, grasses and grindstones: replanting
ideas of gathering in Southern Africa’s Middle and Later Stone
Ages. The South African Archaeological Bulletin 71(203): 36–
45.
Faith J.T. (2011) Late Quaternary dietary shifts of the Cape grysbok
(Raphicerus melanotis) in southern Africa. Quaternary Research
75: 159–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2010.09.011
Fox F.W., Norwood-Young M.E. (1982) Food from the veld: edible
wild plants of southern Africa. South African Institute for Medi-
cal Research. Johannesburg, Delta Books.
Geldenhuys C.J. (1993) Floristic composition of the southern Cape
forests with an annotated checklist. Pretoria, Division of Forest
Science and Technology, CSIR. Available from http://hdl.han-
dle.net/10204/2044 [accessed 20 Nov. 2016].
Grey D.C., Jacobs E.O., Robertson T.A., Schafer G.N. (1987) In-
troduction to the Tsitsikamma key area. Saasveld Forestry Re-
search Centre, Centre Report No S.87/3. Pretoria, South African
Forestry Research Institute, Department of Environment Af-
fairs.
Grine F.E., Wurz S., Marean C.W. (2017) Middle Stone Age hu-
man fossil record from Klasies River Main Site. Journal
of Human Evolution 103: 53–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jhevol.2016.12.001
Hanekom N., Southwood A., Ferguson M. (1989) A vegetation
survey of the Tsitsikamma Coastal National Park. Koedoe 32:
47–66. https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v32i1.464
Henry A., Brooks A.S., Piperno D.R. (2014) Plant foods and the di-
etary ecology of Neanderthals and early modern humans. Jour-
nal of human evolution 69: 44–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jhevol.2013.12.014
Hoare D.B., Mucina L., Rutherford M.C., Vlok J.H., Euston-Brown
D.I.,PalmerA.R.,PowrieL.W.,Lechmere-OertelR.G.,Procheş
Ş.M., DoldA.P.,WardR.A. (2006) Albany thicket biome. In:
Mucina L., Rutherford M.C. (eds) The vegetation of South Af-
rica, Lesotho and Swaziland. Strelitzia 19: 541–567. Pretoria,
South African National Biodiversity Institute.
33
van Wijk et al., Modern vegetation in the Klasies River cultural landscape
Hosking S.G., Du Preez M. (1999) A cost-benet analysis of re-
moving alien trees in the Tsitsikamma mountain catchment.
South African Journal of Science 95(10): 442–448.
HutchingsA., Scott A.H., Lewis G., CunninghamA. (1996) Zulu
medicinal plants: an inventory. Scottsville, University of Natal
Press.
IPNI (2016) The International Plant Names Index [online]. Avail-
able from http://www.ipni.org/index.html [accessed 31 Aug.
2016].
iSpot (2016) iSpot: Communities – Southern Africa. Available from
http://www.ispotnature.org/communities/southern-africa [ac-
cessed 25 Aug. 2016].
Klein R.G. (1976) The mammalian fauna of the Klasies Riv-
er Mouth sites, southern Cape Province, South Africa. The
South African Archaeological Bulletin 31: 75–98. https://doi.
org/10.2307/3887730
Laidler P.W. (1947) The evolution of Middle Palaeolithic tech-
nique at Geelhoutboom, near Kareedouw, in the southern Cape.
Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 31: 283–313.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00359194709518941
Langejans G.H., van Niekerk K.L., Dusseldorp G.L., Thackeray J.F.
(2012)Middle StoneAge shellshexploitation: potentialindi-
cationsformasscollectingandresourceintensicationatBlom-
bos Cave and Klasies River, South Africa. Quaternary Interna-
tional 270: 80–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2011.09.003
Le Roux F.G. (2000) The geology of the Port Elizabeth-Uitenhage
area:explanationofSheet3325DC&DD,3425BAPortEliza-
beth, 3325 CD & 3425 AB Uitenhage, 3325 CB Uitenhage
Noord and 3325 DA Addo. Scale 1: 50 000. Pretoria, Council
for Geoscience.
Lubke R.A. (1985) Erosion of the beach at St Francis Bay, East-
ern Cape, South Africa. Biological Conservation 32: 99–127.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3207(85)90080-1
Lubke R., van Wijk Y. (1998a) Estuarine plants. In: Lubke R., De
Moor I.J. (eds) Field guide to the eastern and southern Cape
coasts: 187–197. Cape Town, University of Cape Town Press.
Lubke R., van Wijk Y. (1998b) Terrestrial plants and coastal vegeta-
tion. In: Lubke R., De Moor I.J. (eds) Field guide to the eastern
and southern Cape coasts: 289–343. Cape Town, University of
Cape Town Press.
Manning J., Goldblatt P. (2012) Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic
Region. 1: The Core Cape ora. Strelitzia 29. Pretoria, South
African National Biodiversity Institute.
Marean C.W., Cawthra H.C., Cowling R.M., Esler K.J., Fisher E.,
Milewski A., Potts A.J., Singels E., De Vynck J. (2014) Stone
Age people in a changing South African Greater Cape Floris-
tic Region. In: Allsopp N., Colville J.F., Verboom G.A. (eds)
Fynbos: ecology, evolution, and conservation of a megadiverse
region: 164–199. Oxford, Oxford University Press. https://doi.
org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679584.003.0008
Mucina L., Rutherford M.C. (2006) The vegetation of South Africa,
Lesotho and Swaziland. Strelitzia 19. Pretoria, South African
National Biodiversity Institute.
Nami H.G., de la Peña P., Vásquez C.A., Feathers J., Wurz S. (2016)
Palaeomagnetic results and new dates of sedimentary deposits
from Klasies River Cave 1, South Africa. South African Jour-
nal of Science 112: Art. #2016-0051. https://doi.org/10.17159/
sajs.2016/20160051
Pierce S.M., Cowling R.M. (1984) Phenology of fynbos, renos-
terveld and subtropical thicket in the south eastern Cape. South
African Journal of Botany 3: 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/
S0022-4618(16)30074-2
Pote J., Shackleton C., Cocks M., Lubke R. (2006) Fuelwood har-
vesting and selection in Valley Thicket, South Africa. Journal
of Arid Environments 67: 270–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jaridenv.2006.02.011
Potts A.J., Hedderson T.A., Franklin J., Cowling R.M. (2013) The
Last Glacial Maximum distribution of South African subtropi-
cal thicket inferred from community distribution modelling.
Journal of Biogeography 40: 310–322. https://doi.org/10.1111/
j.1365-2699.2012.02788.x
Rebelo A.G., Boucher C., Helme N.A., Mucina L., Rutherford M.C.
(2006) Fynbos biome. In: Mucina L., Rutherford M.C. (eds)
The vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Stre-
litzia 19: 52–219. South African National Biodiversity Institute,
Pretoria.
Singels E., Potts A.J., Cowling R.M., Marean C.W., de Vynck
J., Esler K.J. (2016) Foraging potential of underground stor-
age organ plants in the southern Cape, South Africa. Journal
of Human Evolution 101: 79-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jhevol.2016.09.008
Singer R., Wymer J.J. (1982) The Middle Stone Age at Klasies
River Mouth in South Africa. Chicago, University of Chicago
Press.
Smith C.A. (1966) Common names of South African plants. Preto-
ria, Government printer.
Strydom H.L., Schafer G. (1997) Report with maps: soils and site
productivity evaluation of Lottering Plantation. CSIR Report
Number: ENV/P/C 97146. Nelspruit, CSIR.
Thackeray J.F. (1988) Molluscan fauna from Klasies River Mouth,
South Africa. The South African Archaeological Bulletin 43:
27–30. https://doi.org/10.2307/3887610
Tinley K.L. (1985) Coastal dunes of South Africa. National Sci-
enticProgrammesUnit: CSIR, SANSPReport109. Pretoria,
CSIR.
Van Pletzen L. (2000) The large mammal fauna from Klasies Riv-
er. Master’s thesis, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch,
South Africa. Available from https://scholar.sun.ac.za/han-
dle/10019.1/51991 [accessed 10 Feb. 2017].
van Wyk B.-E., Oudtshoorn B.V., Gericke N. (1997) Medicinal
Plants of South Africa. Pretoria, Briza Publications.
van Wyk B.-E., Gericke N. (2000) People’s plants: a guide to useful
plants of Southern Africa. Pretoria, Briza Publications.
Vlok J.H.J., Euston-Brown D.I.W. (2002) The patterns within, and
the ecological processes that sustain, the subtropical thicket
vegetation in the planning domain for the Subtropical Thicket
Ecosystem Planning (STEP) project. TERU report no. 40. Port
Elizabeth, Terrestrial Ecology Research Unit, University of Port
Elizabeth.
Vlok J.H.J., Euston-Brown D.I.W., Wolf T. (2008) Garden Route
Report and Vegetation Map - Garden Route Initiative. Available
from http://grbr.org.za/ [accessed 20 Nov. 2016].
Wadley L. (2015) Those marvellous millennia: the Middle Stone
Age of Southern Africa. Azania: Archaeological Research
in Africa 50: 155–226. https://doi.org/10.1080/006727
0X.2015.1039236
Weldon D., Reason C.J.C. (2014) Variability of rainfall character-
istics over the South Coast region of South Africa. Theoretical
and applied climatology 115: 177–185. https://doi.org/10.1007/
s00704-013-0882-4
Wrangham R., Cheney D., Seyfarth R., Sarmiento E. (2009) Shal-
low-water habitats as sources of fallback foods for hominins.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology 140: 630–642.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.21122
34
Pl. Ecol. Evol. 150 (1), 2017
Wurz S. (2002) Variability in the Middle Stone Age lithic sequence,
115,000–60,000 years ago at Klasies River, South Africa.
Journal of Archaeological Science 29: 1001–1015. https://doi.
org/10.1006/jasc.2001.0799
Wurz S. (2012) The signicance of MIS 5 shell middens on the
Cape coast: a lithic perspective from Klasies River and Yster-
fontein 1. Quaternary International 270: 61–69. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.quaint.2011.06.032
ZhuF.,QinC.,TaoL.,LiuX.,ShiZ.,MaX.,JiaJ.,TanY.,CuiC.,
Lin J., Tan C. (2011) Clustered patterns of species origins of
nature-derived drugs and clues for future bioprospecting. Pro-
ceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United
States of America 108:12943–12948. https://doi.org/10.1073/
pnas.1107336108
Manuscript received 6 Sep. 2016; accepted in revised version
18 Nov. 2016.
Communicating Editor: Elmar Robbrecht.
... We omitted species used for beverage preparation only (teas, alcoholic beverages or coffee substitutes), but included plants sourced for saps, nectars and/or gums as part of subsistence behaviours. We added species from Malaisse and Parent (1985), Barton et al. (1993), Leonard (2015), Novello and Barboni (2015), van Wijk et al. (2017), Botha et al. (2019), Mutie et al. (2020) and Aparicio et al. (2021) that are indigenous/endemic to southern Africa. We highlight plant parts consumed, foodplants that are geophytes, serve/d as famine foods or provide moisture for drinking. ...
... FFLs can be generated according to a site's shapefile or according to its 1:50 000 grid map and surrounding grid maps. Once the area is determined an initial list of recorded plant species can be generated from the SANBI database, but not all areas have been recorded equally (van Wijk et al., 2017), so that this record represents only the minimum number of plant species on any given landscape. Additional sources of information include the African Plant Database (http://www.villege.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/index.php?langue=an), lists of important species associated with the relevant vegetation types (Mucina and Rutherford, 2006), and any previously published plant surveys. ...
... Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4238484 P r e p r i n t n o t p e e r r e v i e w e d 2004;Langejans et al., 2017;Brenner et al., 2020), hunting a wide range of land mammals (Klein, 1976;Wurz and Lombard, 2007;Reynard and Wurz, 2020), and harvesting plant foods (Deacon and Geleijnse, 1988;van Wijk et al., 2017van Wijk et al., , 2019. Hearths at Klasies River Main Site that could date between 120 ka and 65 ka also produced some of the earliest evidence for cooked starchy plant foods (Larbey et al., 2019). ...
Preprint
Full-text available
We present the most complete foodplant checklist for southern Africa to date, and summarise the geo-chronological origins of the South Africa and Lesotho biomes. Working from Binford's foraging radii, we introduce a 3-tier method for assessing and comparing foodplant fitness landscapes at different scales. To illustrate the method's potential, we analyse the Klasies River landscape starting with a ~12.5 km foraging radius working from the Klasies River Main Site, comparing it with its ~35 km foraging radius. Our comparison reveals a proportional increase of 74.5% in foodplants moving from the smaller to the larger foraging range, with the highest increases in plant foods such as grains, geophytes and seeds. It is therefore reasonable to predict that the Klasies River foragers may have extended their range seasonally, or when needed, to harvest such preservable foods. On a meta scale (compared to foodplant use in current/recent southern Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, the world's economic foodplants and the commercialised food plants of the world), the general limitations, strengths and uniqueness of the Klasies River foodplant fitness landscape is highlighted. Lastly, based on the foodplant checklists for southern Africa and Klasies River, we raise questions about the obligatory cooking hypothesis.
... Here, we present a unified flora of these coastal calcareous habitats of the CFR and analyse the flora to assess its size, taxonomic composition, growth-form mix, biological traits, biogeographic affinities and endemism. We further sketch a brief scenario of the flora's assembly, with a focus on the Pleistocene-a period whose dynamic sea levels and vacillating climate had a profound impact on the geography and diversification of floras in the Cape (Cowling et al., 2017;Forest, Colville & Cowling, 2018;Colville et al., 2020), especially along the coast (Grobler et al., 2020). ...
... We also excluded species that occur only east of Algoa Bay (the Sundays River), typically of tropical affinity and associated with coastal forests (e.g., Eugenia capensis, Mimusops obovata, Strelitzia nicolai). The list of species derived from these two conspectuses were supplemented with floras for coastal dune habitats produced by Olivier (1983), Van Wijk et al. (2017) and Cowling et al. (2019), and by incidental species lists produced during vegetation surveys in coastal dune and calcarenite habitats (Zietsman & Bredenkamp, 2006, 2007Mergili & Privett, 2008). While no structured field work was undertaken for this study, we also included georeferenced photographic records of species collected by us from 2009-2021. ...
... 19-20,000 km 2 , increased the available habitat for limestone fynbos at least eight-fold . By invoking age-and-area theory, which explains much of the diversity patterns observed in the CFR (Cowling et al., 2017;Forest, Colville & Cowling, 2018;Colville et al., 2020), we argue that these expansive areas of calcareous habitat, exposed at length during Pleistocene glacials (Jouzel et al., 2002;Waelbroeck et al., 2002;Fisher et al., 2010), enabled the evolution of a rich coastal flora in the Cape (Grobler et al., 2020). Age-and-area theory posits that high levels of biodiversity amass in habitats characterized by sufficiently large areas to support viable biotic populations and by high environmental stability over evolutionary timescales, synergistically resulting in reduced extinction rates and increased speciation rates, and ultimately leading to the accumulation of species from both ancient lineages and more recent radiations (Dynesius & Jansson, 2000;Jansson & Dynesius, 2002;Ricklefs, 2006;Fine, 2015;Schluter, 2016). ...
Article
Full-text available
The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) is globally recognized as a hotspot of plant diversity and endemism. Much of this diversity stems from radiations associated with infertile acid sands derived from sandstones of the geologically ancient Cape Fold Belt. These ancient montane floras acted as the source for most subsequent radiations on the Cape lowlands during the Oligocene (on silcretes) and Mio-Pliocene (on shales). The geomorphic evolution of the CFR during the Plio-Pleistocene led to the first large-scale occurrence of calcareous substrata (coastal dunes and calcarenites) along the Cape coast, providing novel habitats for plant colonization and ensuing evolution of the Cape coastal flora-the most recent diversification event in the Cape. Few studies have investigated the CFR's dune and calcarenite floras, and fewer still have done so in an evolutionary context. Here, we present a unified flora of these coastal calcareous habitats of the CFR and analyze the taxonomic, biological and geographical traits of its component species to gain insights into its assembly. The Cape coastal flora, comprising 1,365 species, is taxonomically dominated by the Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Iridaceae, with Erica, Aspalathus and Agathosma being the most speciose genera. In terms of growth-form mix, there is a roughly equal split between herbaceous and woody species, the former dominated by geophytes and forbs, the latter by dwarf and low shrubs. Species associated with the Fynbos biome constitute the bulk of the flora, while the Subtropical Thicket and Wetland biomes also house a substantial number of species. The Cape coastal flora is a distinctly southern African assemblage, with 61% of species belonging to southern African lineages (including 35% of species with Cape affinity) and 59% being endemic to the CFR. Unique among floras from the Cape and coastal Mediterranean-climate regions is the relatively high proportion of species associated with tropical lineages, several of which are restricted to calcareous substrata of the CFR. The endemic, calcicolous component of the flora, constituting 40% of species, represents 6% of the Cape's regional plant diversity-high tallies compared to other biodiversity hotspots. Most coastal-flora endemics emerged during the Plio-Pleistocene as a product of ecological speciation upon the colonization of calcareous substrata, with the calcifugous fynbos floras of montane acid substrata being the most significant source of this diversification, especially on the typically shallow soils of calcarenite landscapes. On the other hand, renosterveld floras, associated with edaphically benign soils that are widespread on the CFR lowlands, have not been a major source of lineages to the coastal flora. Our findings suggest that, over and above the strong pH gradient that exists on calcareous substrata, soil depth and texture may act as important edaphic filters to incorporating lineages from floras on juxtaposed substrata in the CFR.
... They therefore play an integral role in most hunter-gatherer economies. Yet, apart from the archaeobotanical work conducted at Boomplaas and Klasies River Main Caves [1][2][3][4], limited research on charcoal remains [5--7], some work on modern geophyte collection [8][9][10][11][12], and my attempts to reconstruct foodplant foraging-scapes [13][14][15], almost nothing is known about the phyto-scapes (the plant populations within their respective landscapes) that surround Middle Stone Age sites in the Cape. ...
... • Generate current foodplant-fitness landscapes by comparing the site-specific plant checklists with the southern African foodplant checklist [15], to help hypothesise about past dietary ecologies [13,22,23]. • Generate checklists for other useful plants growing around archaeological sites [3,4,12], to assess the potential availability of plants that can be used as: ...
... We conducted two sets of experiments, the A series and the B series. The wood for both series was collected along the beach, where the salty sea-spray affects the growth of the plants and in some cases lead to the plants dying (van Wijk et al. 2017). We mainly collected twigs and small branches for the fires. ...
... We conducted two sets of experiments, the A series and the B series. The wood for both series was collected along the beach, where the salty sea-spray affects the growth of the plants and in some cases lead to the plants dying (van Wijk et al. 2017). We mainly collected twigs and small branches for the fires. ...
Book
Full-text available
The book attempts to present the entanglement of the physical phenomenon of fire, the pyro-technological instruments, i. e., its material supports, and the human being.
... We conducted two sets of experiments, the A series and the B series. The wood for both series was collected along the beach, where the salty sea-spray affects the growth of the plants and in some cases lead to the plants dying (van Wijk et al. 2017). We mainly collected twigs and small branches for the fires. ...
Book
This book regroups papers from the session with the same title co-organized by Dragoş Gheorghiu and Derek Pitman at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, as well as two new contributions. In the last few decades fire archaeology has become an increasingly frequent topic of study, examining the indexical presence of fire (at macro or micro levels), as well as of pyro-instruments. But the study of fire is not only focused on the material analysis, but also on the human agency in relation to the phenomenon.
... We conducted two sets of experiments, the A series and the B series. The wood for both series was collected along the beach, where the salty sea-spray affects the growth of the plants and in some cases lead to the plants dying (van Wijk et al. 2017). We mainly collected twigs and small branches for the fires. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
Is there a pyrotechnical architecture of the African Middle Stone Age? We examine this question through ash features and potentially heated rocks from three contexts at Klasies River main site (KRM), South Africa. We compare these to actualistic fire experiments showing that a wood mass of 1.5-3 kg produces hearth areas of 300-440 cm2 and heat for 3-5 hours. We identify three different chaînes opératoires of fire-related behaviour showing differences in the investment required for using fire in the Middle Stone Age (MSA). We argue that ash features, although not associated with stone linings, can be regarded as a form of pyrotechnical architecture.
Article
Full-text available
The archaeological record, particularly of shellfish, from the Klasies River main site (KRM) is important in understanding the fluctuating nature of coastal occupational patterns and changing coastal ecologies. In this paper, we provide new uranium–thorium (U-Th) dates for one of the earlier phases of coastal exploitation at KRM, and the microstratigraphic analyses generate novel information about the taphonomy of shell-bearing deposits from the Later Stone Age (LSA) to the MSA I period that, in turn, provide a broader context for middening at the site. A wide range of syndepositional taphonomic processes related to human activities and post-depositional effects include burning, fragmentation and compaction, chemical alteration, and cementation. Despite such issues influencing recovery, shellfish data are informative and are presented from three layers of the Witness Baulk: Shell Midden One (SMONE), Black Occupational Soils (BOS), and Silty Black Soils (SBLS). These coarse shell midden deposits exhibit visible decalcification coupled with cementation with secondary carbonate formation in association with conditions of high moisture and soft sedimentation deformation of the underlying sediments of SBLS. This stratigraphy section is chronologically anchored for the first time using U-Th dating of speleothems associated with a hiatus after the deposition of BOS. The three ages, 110,060 ± 1,100, 109,800 ± 970, and 106,000 ± 2,100 years, place the BOS layer as the base of the SASL sub-member at over 110 ka, making the underlying middens from the LBS member even older. The zooarchaeological analyses of the three layers indicate coastal ecological changes from more sheltered conditions prior to the hiatus, with the exploitation of alikreukel and brown mussels predominating. Before 110 ka, in BOS and SBLS, more exposed coastal conditions occurred, and the diversity of exploited shellfish increased. SMONE and BOS are associated with MSA II/Mossel Bay lower lithic technology and SBLS with MSA I technology, indicating asynchronous coastal ecological and technological changes. The MIS 5c-d evidence for early coastal occupation at KRM provides details on the period during which coastal occupation became stable and systematic on the South African coast and puts the KRM amongst the handful of sites with shell-bearing deposits, occurring prior to 110 ka in South Africa.
Chapter
African nightshades belong to the Solanum nigrum complex species which is characterised by taxonomical complexity. Species such as Solanum scabrum, Solanum villosum, Solanum americanum, Solanum eldorettii, Solanum chenopodioides, Solanum retroflexum, Solanum florulentum, Solanum grossidentatum, Solanum tarderemotum, Solanum physalifolium and Solanum nigrum have been regarded as African nightshades due to their origin or naturalisation in Africa. Some species grow as weeds and some are cultivated. They are sensitive to low soil moisture levels and are not considered to be drought tolerant. African nightshades can be used to contribute to the daily nutrient requirements as they are good sources of proteins (2.5% to 39.7%), fibre (1.3% to 19%), minerals, and vitamins. Furthermore, they can contribute up to about 1485.3 kJ of energy per 100 g of a vegetable portion. These species are also beneficial beyond their nutritional value as they possess phytochemicals with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory bioactivities. Some species possess anticancer, antidiabetic, and hepatoprotective activities. The consumption of these species is hindered by the presence of antinutritional compounds such as phytates, oxalates, steroidal glycoalkaloids, and saponins. However, processing methods such as boiling, and blanching have been found to reduce the concentration of antinutrients to non-toxic levels.
Article
Full-text available
Palaeomagnetic data from Klasies River main site Cave 1 (Eastern Cape Province, South Africa) are reported. Natural remanent magnetisation directions obtained from 77 oriented samples were determined by progressive alternating field demagnetisation methodology. Three palaeomagnetic samplings from the Witness Baulk from the Middle Stone Age (MSA) Late Pleistocene White Sand member and the Holocene Later Stone Age (LSA) middens in Cave 1 were dated and analysed to obtain the palaeomagnetic directions recorded in the sediments. Here we provide new optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates for the White Sand Member, and new accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates for the LSA midden of areas not previously dated. The palaeomagnetic analysis took into account rock magnetism and directional analysis. The former reveals that the main magnetic carrier was magnetite; the latter shows that characteristic remanent magnetisation of normal and anomalous directions was observed in the lower portion of the White Sand Member and LSA midden. Normal directions correspond to the palaeosecular variation record for South Africa during the Late Pleistocene. On the other hand, the anomalous directions recorded in the LSA midden might represent the likely Sterno-Etrussia geomagnetic field excursion which occurred during the Late Holocene and is observed in other places on the planet. Finally, the directional data obtained are a potential tool for discussing the age of deposits corresponding to those periods. Significance: • New dates confirm and extend previous age determinations for the LSA and White Sand Member from Klasies River
Article
Full-text available
The coastal environments of South Africa’s Cape Floristic Region (CFR) provide some of the earliest and most abundant evidence for the emergence of cognitively modern humans. In particular, the south coast of the CFR provided for hunter-gatherers a uniquely diverse resource base, namely marine shellfish, game, and carbohydrate-bearing plants, especially those with underground storage organs (USOs). It has been hypothesized that these resource underpinned the continuity of human occupation in the region since the Middle Pleistocene. Very little research has been conducted on the foraging potential of carbohydrate resources in the CFR. This study focuses on the seasonal availability of plants with edible carbohydrate by assessing their visibility to foragers at six-weekly intervals over a two-year period in four vegetation types on South Africa’s Cape south coast. A total of 52 edible plant species were recorded across all vegetation types. Of these, 33 species were geophytes with edible USOs and 21 species had aboveground edible carbohydrates. Limestone Fynbos had the richest flora, followed by Strandveld, Renosterveld and lastly, Sand Fynbos. The availability of USO species differed across vegetation types and between survey years. The number of available USO species was highest for a six-month period from winter to early summer (Jul-Dec) across all vegetation types. Months of lowest species’ availability were in mid-summer to early autumn (Jan-Apr); the early winter (May-Jun) values were variable, being highest in Limestone Fynbos. However, even during the late summer carbohydrate “crunch”, 25 carbohydrate bearing species were visible across the four vegetation types. Overall, the plant-based carbohydrate resources available to Stone Age foragers of the Cape south coast, especially USOs belonging to the Iridaceae family, are likely to have comprised a reliable and nutritious source of calories over most of the year. The winter and early spring months likely coincided with a scarcity of protein, especially marine invertebrates, but an abundance of carbohydrates. At these times, plant carbohydrates, especially USOs, may have comprised 100% of dietary intake. However, recognising which vegetation types are most productive, identifying hotspots of productivity and distinguishing between edible and toxic USOs must have required considerable cognitive skills.
Article
Hilary Deacon's seminal paper (1993) in the South African Archaeological Bulletin was instrumental in promoting the notion that geophytes, or underground storage organs, were a major target of hunter-gatherer subsistence in the Middle and Later Stone Ages of southern Africa. Summarising an interest developed in earlier work (e.g. Deacon 1976), Deacon's assessment of geophytes as prolific, energy-rich staples of later Pleistocene and Holocene hunter-gatherer subsistence, has also been mirrored in papers concerned with diets potentially supportive of human evolution. The idea that hunter-gatherer grindstones are linked to geophyte processing has also gone largely unchallenged, as has the assumption that grass-or small-seed processing is not responsible for their abundance, nor that wild, small-seeded resources ever contributed substantially to hunter-gatherer diets in southern Africa. These arguments have considerable implications for subsistence and economic change in the region. This paper surveys existing archaeological and ethnohistorical literature to (re)assess the importance of the geophyte hypothesis, probe the origin of the linkage between grindstones and geophytes, and determine the extent to which small-seeded resources were utilised. I conclude that although a strong role for geophytes in southern African hunter-gatherer subsistence is warranted, the need to process them does not best explain the ubiquitous presence of grindstones, for which seed-processing may be a better candidate. That wild grass processing may have been, in contrast to received wisdom, a staple of subsistence, necessarily means that '[what] hunters gathered' should be rethought.
Article
Underground storage organs (USOs) serve as a staple source of carbohydrates for many hunter-gatherer societies and they feature prominently in discussions of diets of early modern humans. While the way of life of hunter-gatherers in South Africa's Cape no longer exists, there is extensive ethnographic, historical, and archaeological evidence of hunter-gatherers' use of USOs. This is to be expected, given that the Cape supports the largest concentration of plant species with USOs globally. The southern Cape is the location of several Middle Stone Age sites that are highly significant to research on the origins of behaviourally modern humans, and this provided the context for our research. Here, we evaluate the foraging potential of USOs by identifying how abundant edible biomass is in the southern Cape, how easily it is gathered, and how nutritious it is. One hundred 5 × 5 m plots were assessed in terms of USO species and abundance. Nearly all of the sites sampled (83%) contained edible USOs and some had high concentrations of edible biomass. Extrapolating from these sites suggests that the edible USO biomass falls within the range of biomass observed in areas supporting extant hunter-gatherer communities. The nutritional content for six USO species was assessed; these contained between 40 and 228 calories/100 g. Furthermore, foraging events were staged to provide an indication of the potential return rates for the same six USOs. The target species grow near the soil surface, mostly in sandy soils, and were gathered with minimal effort. Some 50% of the foraging events conducted yielded enough calories to meet the daily requirements of a hunter-gatherer within two hours. In conclusion, we demonstrate that USOs are a readily available source of carbohydrates in the southern Cape landscape and, therefore, there is a strong possibility that USOs played a critical role in providing food for early humans.
Article
Qualitative and quantitative phenological observations were made on 173 species in eight communities in climatically similar sites. Results indicated that in species growing on different substrates, soil type had a minimal effect on phenophases. Phenophase patterns were analyzed by grouping species into growth form classes. Geophytes and annuals grew from autumn to spring. The majority of restioids and C3 grasses grew most in the cool wet seasons. C4 grass species showed either a summer growth season or an additional cooler growth season; the former species do not occur westwards in the winter rainfall region while the latter do. Most succulents grew in autumn and spring while two species also grew in summer. Small leaved sclerophyll shrubs grew throughout the year and/or showed a summer growth peak. The former pattern is consistent with a ‘generalist strategy’ but the latter is not readily explained because of summer drought conditions. Subtropical large leaved sclerophyll shrubs showed irregular growth and reproduction whereas large leaved proteoid shrubs grew in summer and autumn. In all shrub growth forms maximum leaf loss occurred in summer. Phenophase patterns were explained in terms of ecophysiological factors but biological and historical factors were also considered.