CREW volunteers rediscover another species
On the 3rd of February on a routine monitoring trip to the Briers Louw Stewardship Nature Reserve (Briers Louw SNR) the Friends of the Tygerberg Hills (FOTH) came across a shrub nearly identical to Metalasia (blombos). After close inspection and submitting a specimen to the Compton Herbarium, confirmation was received that this plant was not a Metalasia but in fact Planea schlechteri. P. schlechteri is a very close relative to Metalasia and was thought to be extinct.
The species was listed in the South African Red List as Critically Endangered Possibly Extinct (CRPE) as it was only known from three collections made by Schlechter in 1897, Marloth (possibly 1914 as there is no date on the specimen) and Acocks in 1935. This brings the number of CRPE species rediscovered since 2009 to 14. Our thanks and gratitude goes out to our volunteers that are making an amazing contribution to conservation.
The Friends of the Tygerberg Hills (FOTH)
The FOTH is a volunteer group that works with CREW to monitor and conserve threatened plants. Their main focus area is the Tygerberg Hills and Durbanville but due to this group's amazing dedication to threatened plant conservation they also target areas further away. The FOTH is a fantastic group of amateur botanists and did not know much about plants when they started the group in 2003. The FOTH members supported and encouraged each other to increase their botanical knowledge and today they are one of the most well informed CREW groups and experts in their local flora.
Over the years the FOTH has been engaged in many special projects including supporting the City of Cape Town and Capenature with biodiversity assessments at critical Stewardship sites. Another key FOTH project is repeat sampling and monitoring at the Briers Louw SNR. This high priority lowland reserve is home to critically endangered vegetation and a number of highly threatened plants and animals.
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