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Research, Policy and Practice

Table 1 Herbaceous species frequencies (%) in cleared and uncleared sites

From: Short-term responses of herbaceous vegetation to bush clearing in semi-arid rangelands of South Africa

Species

Family

Ecological status

Life form†

Cleared

Uncleared

Grasses

 Aristida bipartita (Nees.) Trin & Rupr.

Poaceae

Increaser II

P

7.3

4.5

 Aristida congesta subsp. barbicollis Roen. & Schult.

Poaceae

Increaser II

WP

2.2

0.8

 Bothriochloa insculpta (Hochst.) ex A. Rich.

Poaceae

Increaser II

WP

2.1

3.0

 Brachiaria eruciformis (Sibth. & Sm.) Griseb.

Poaceae

Increaser II

A

9.9

3.2

 Chloris virgata Sw.

Poaceae

Increaser II

A

1.0

0.0

 Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.

Poaceae

Increaser II

P

5.8

5.4

 Digitaria eriantha (Stent.) Steud.

Poaceae

Decreaser

P

5.6

7.8

 Eragrostis lehmanniana (Nees.)

Poaceae

Increaser II

P

14.5

16.0

 Fingarhuthia africana Lehm.

Poaceae

Increaser II

P

0.1

0.0

 Heteropogon contortus (L.) Roen & Schult.

Poaceae

Increaser II

P

0.3

0.0

 Ischaemum afrum (JF Gmel.) Dandy

Poaceae

Increaser I

P

1.2

2.9

 Panicum coloratum L.

Poaceae

Decreaser

P

6.2

0.7

 Setaria sphacelata (Schumach.) Stapf & C.E. Hub

Poaceae

Decreaser

P

0.7

0.0

 Sporobolus ioclados (Trin.) Nees.

Poaceae

Increaser II

WP

0.0

0.6

 Sporobolus ludwigii Hochst.

Poaceae

Increaser II

P

0.0

2.6

 Sorghum versicolor Andersson.

Poaceae

Increaser II

P

0.2

0.0

 Tragus berteronianus (Schult.)

Poaceae

Increaser II

A

4.0

1.5

 Urochloa mosambicensis (Hack.) Dandy.

Poaceae

Increaser II

A

0.9

0.5

 Total

   

62.0

49.6

Forbs

 Achyranthes aspera (L.) Griseb.

Amaranthaceae

Invader

P

0.0

0.0

 Amaranthus hybridus (L.) Timeroy.

Amaranthaceae

Invader

P

0.8

0.7

 Blepharis integrifolia (L.f.) Schinz.

Acanthaceae

Increaser II

P

8.6

18.0

 Chochorous asplenifolius (Burch.)

Tiliaceae

Invader

P

5.6

5.2

 Commelina benghalensis L.

Commelinaceae

Invader

P

0.2

1.4

 Corbichonia decumbens (Forssk.) Exell.

Molluginaceae

Increaser II

A

5.5

8.8

 Crabbea acaulis N.E.Br.

Amaranthaceae

Invader

P

0.4

0.2

 Crabbea angustifolia (Nees.) Nees.

Amaranthaceae

Invader

P

1.4

0.1

 Embrosia artemisiifolia L.

Asteraceae

Invader

P

0.4

0.3

 Gomphrena celosoides Mart.

Amaranthaceae

Invader

P

0.0

0.0

 Hibiscus trionum L.

Loranthaceae

Increaser II

A

2.4

0.8

 Ipomoea sinensis (Desr.) Choisy.

Convolvulaceae

Invader

P

0.1

0.0

 Jamesbrittennia aurantiaca Burch

Scrophulariaceae

Invader

P

0.2

0.1

 Justicia flava (Vahl.) Vahl.

Acanthaceae

Increaser II

P

1.9

7.7

 Kohautia virgata (Willd.) Bremek

Acanthaceae

Increaser II

P

1.4

1.9

 Kyphocarpa angustifolia (Moq.) Lopr.

Amaranthaceae

Invader

A

0.7

0.2

 Schkuhria pinnata (L.) Kuntze ex Thell.

Asteraceae

Invader

P

1.5

0.2

 Nidorella resedifolia DC.

Acanthaceae

Increaser II

A

0.7

1.0

 Spermacoce sinensis (Klotzsch.) Hiern.

Rubiaceae

Increaser II

A

2.0

0.2

 Phyllanthus maderaspatensis L.

Phylanthaceae

Invader

A

1.5

1.0

 Phyllanthus uniraria

Phylanthaceae

Invader

A

0.7

0.5

 Tribulus terrestris (L.) Oliv.

Zygophyllaceae

Invader

A

0.1

0.1

 Total

   

36.1

48.4

Legumes

 Crotalaria heidmannii Schinz.

Fabaceae

Invader

P

0.3

0.1

 Senna italica Mill.

Fabaceae

Increaser II

P

0.1

0.1

 Sesbania bispinosa (Willd.) Pers.

Fabaceae

Increaser II

B

0.2

0.1

 Rhyncosia minima (L.) Pers.

Fabaceae

Increaser II

P

0.5

0.5

 Tephrosia purpurea (L.) Pers.

Fabaceae

Invader

P

0.3

0.4

 Total

   

1.4

1.2

Succulents

 Kalanchoe brachyloba Welw. ex Britten

Crassulaceae

Invader

P

0.3

0.4

 Portulaca quadrifida L.

Portulacaceae

Invader

A

0.1

0.0

 Total

   

0.4

0.4

Others

 Cyperus rotundus L.

Cyperaceae

Invader

P

0.1

0.4

 Rush spp.

Hyacinthaceae

–

–

0.0

0.0

 Total

   

0.1

0.4

  1. †Life form: P perennial, A annual, B biennial, WP weak perennial