ALBANY THICKET
Albany Thicket
(Synonyms: Subtropical Thicket, Subtropical Transitional Thicket.)
Albany Thicket is a new biome (only formally recognised in 1996) . It does not have the required height nor the many strata below the canopy of Forest. Nor is it a "Savanna" type, in that it does not have a conspicuous grassy ground layer. It is characterized by having large succulent plants.
Subtropical thicket is a closed shrubland to low forest dominated by evergreen, sclerophyllous or succulent trees, shrubs and vines, many of which have stem spines. It is often almost impenetrable, is generally not divided into strata, and has little herbaceous cover. Because the vegetation types within the "Thicket Biome" share floristic components with many other phytochoria and lie within almost all the formal biomes, Thicket types have been referred to as "transitional thicket". Thicket types contain few endemics, most of which are succulents of Karoo origin (e.g. Plakkies Crassula spp. and Sheep Fig Delosperma spp.).
Source: Low, A.B. & Rebelo, A.(T.) G. 1998. Vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and. Swaziland, edn 2. Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Pretoria.
Comments
I find it tricky to add Habitat to observations for a place like Mossel Bay coastal vegetation, where it could be Fynbos or Albany Thicket or Eastern Coast Belt Forest (I cant find a description for the latter). So I suppose it is better to select Unknown than placing it under the wrong habitat...
Fynbos has Proteas, Ericas and Restios, and burns.
Thicket has succulent plants and thorny bushes, and does not burn
You dont have Eastern Coast Belt Forest around Mossel Bay -it would be proper forest trees: in your area it will all be Afromontane Forest with tall trees.
the thicket vegetation that Im referring to is a mix of Scotia afra, Cussonia thyrsiflora, Azima, Bitou, Euphorbia mauritanica, Metalasia muricata, Sideroxylon inerme (mostly stunted), Gymnosporia, Aloe arborescens, Lachenalia, Muraltia, Leucospermum, Searsia sp. Roepera, Diosma sp. Some stuff that probably require fire, some stuff that occur in closed-canopy forest, quite a lot of thorny vegetation and some succulents. Mostly on sandy soils within a few kilometres from the sea. And there are numerous pockets of it between Mossel Bay and Goukamma.
Yes, Albany Thicket matrix with pockets of Fynbos.
I would regard it as Thicket.
Thanks
What is the distribution of Eastern Coast Belt Forest?
Common in n KZN, rarer in EC and largely petering out by PE.
Thanks. Is there a description for the Eastern Coast Belt Forest?
No: I still have to compile one. But when I went to look today, I see someone has stolen my Vegetation book. will have to buy another.
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