Jp. Coetzee et al., THE SUBHUMID WARM TEMPERATE MOUNTAIN BUSHVELD PLANT-COMMUNITIES OF THE PRETORIA-WITBANK-HEIDELBERG AREA, South African journal of botany, 59(6), 1993, pp. 623-632
An analysis of the plant communities d the Sub-humid Warm Temperate Mo
untain Bushveld of the Pretoria-Witbank-Heidelberg area is presented.
Releves were compiled in 44 stratified random sample plots. A TWINSPAN
classification, refined by Braun-Blanquet procedures, revealed six pl
ant communities and four variations which can be regarded as distinct
ecological units. A hierarchical classification, description and ecolo
gical interpretation of the six plant communities and variations are p
resented. Each of these plant communities may be regarded as a unique
entity with its own species composition and specific environmental rel
ationships. The identification, classification and description of thes
e plant communities are not only important for vegetation management p
urposes but also as a scientific basis for the compilation of policies
for the preservation of biotic diversity.