Knersvlakte
b
The Knersvlakte is a semi-desert in South Africa , largely covered with small white quartz stones and part of the succulent caroo . It got its name from the Boers , whose iron cartwheels crunched the stones.
The plain was created as a pouring area and alluvial cone from the former delta of the Olifants and Sout rivers . It has an undulating landscape with individual dome-like elevations. To the west is the Sandveld . Its east side is bounded by the Bokkeveld Mountains.
Geographically, the Knersvlakte lies in the triangle of Vanrhynsdorp , Nuwerus and Lutzville in the Western Cape Province .
A variety of plants (approx. 1300 species) have adapted to the harsh climate, including 250 endemic species and three endemic genera. Most are succulents and geophytes . 128 species are on the red list of threatened species.
The afternoon flowers and thick-leaf plants of the genera are particularly numerous :
- Argyroderma - endemic genus
- Oophytum - endemic genus
- Conophytum
- Tylecodon
- Crassula
In 2014, the Knersvlakte Nature Reserve was established. It has an area of 855 square kilometers and is managed by CapeNature on behalf of WWF South Africa . A classification as a biosphere reserve is sought.
Web links
- Quartz fields in South Africa
- Detailed information from the University of Cape Town , plan for the protection of the area (English; PDF; 1.2 MB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Wolfgang Wetschnig, Ulrike Wetschnig: On the flora and vegetation of southern Africa: The Namaqualand. In: Carinthia II. Klagenfurth 1991, pp. 43-58 ( PDF (7.7 MB) on ZOBODAT ).
- ↑ Description at capenature.co.za (English), accessed on December 8, 2017