Launaea arborescens (Le Roux, 1974)

Mannheimer, Coleen, 2023, First record of the North African Launaea arborescens in southern Africa, Bothalia (a 7) 53 (1), pp. 1-10 : 5

Does Launaea arborescens form a viable population?

The current area of occupancy of the plant of over 3 ha and the well over 300 individuals suggest that this may be a viable population. Also, a bell-shaped size-class distribution of plant sizes is considered indicative of a healthy population in long-lived species such as trees and shrubs ( Cousins et al. 2014). L. arborescens size class distribution in the Kuiseb Delta is close to this bell-shaped slope with a peak in the medium-sized height class ( Figure 4 ).

Furthermore, the fact that this plant has been present in the Kuiseb Delta for several decades without irrigation or any other management, suggests that these now form a viable population. Although the plants were initially introduced and irrigated ( Le Roux 1974), no maintenance has taken place for at least 40 years. This supports the notion that they may have established a self-sustaining population.

Figures

Figure 4. The distribution of mean height measurements of 51 random individuals of Launaea arborescens in the Kuiseb Delta.