Written by Zoë Poulsen and Alex Lansdowne. Photos: Zoë Poulsen
The story of Erica verticillata is one of the most iconic tales from the world of plant conservation. Hailed as one of the most successful examples of a species brought back from the brink by botanic gardens’ conservation programmes, it is written about on interpretation boards as far away as the Temperate House at Kew Gardens in London, UK. This beautiful Erica has become a flagship species for biodiversity conservation, brought back from the brink thanks to ex-situ cultivation.
Erica verticillata, also known as the Whorled Heath, was once found on Cape Town’s Cape Flats between the Black River in the north and Tokai in the south. It was found in wetlands in Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, a vegetation type only found in the greater Cape Town area of which just 10% remains. Erica verticillata was extensively harvested for cut flower markets during the 1700 – 1800s. Transformation for agriculture contributed to initial habitat loss, followed by the development of Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs. By the early 1900s Erica verticillata became extinct in the wild and was thought to have been lost forever.
All was not lost however thanks to conservation efforts from botanic gardens. Erica verticillata was first rediscovered growing in a park in Pretoria in 1989 and later other forms were found in other botanic gardens including Kew Gardens and Tresco Abbey Gardens on the Isles of Scilly in the UK. A lone plant was also later identified growing near the braille trail at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden by garden foreman Adonis Adonis.
Now there are a total of eight different clones of this species in cultivation, gathered from historical collections from botanical gardens around the world by Kirstenbosch Erica specialist Anthony Hitchcock. These clones have since been used in reintroduction projects in remaining fragments of habitat at Kenilworth Racecourse, Rondevlei and Tokai Park.
Rondebosch Common lies at the heart of Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs and is one of the largest remnants of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos habitat surviving in the City. Volunteer conservation group Friends of Rondebosch Common have been community custodians of Rondebosch Common for more than twenty years, working in partnership with the municipality and other key role players.
Following development of a five-year Restoration Plan, 2019 is the first year of the Rondebosch Common Restoration Project, undertaken in partnership with the City of Cape Town’s Biodiversity and Parks Departments and the Kirstenbosch NBG Conservation Programme. The vision is to actively restore 10% of the degraded habitat on Rondebosch Common, improving its conservation value, habitat structure and biodiversity. This work will include the conservation of many highly threatened plant species through reintroduction and continued alien invasive plant clearing.
This winter the Friends of Rondebosch Common and partners from Kirstenbosch and the City reintroduced the extinct in the wild Erica verticillata to the Rondebosch Common Conservation Area. A hundred individuals of the Whorled Heath were planted in various marginal wetland areas. Five clones were planted in twenty test transects. The data gathered from monitoring these plants will allow us to understand which niche habitats Erica verticillata prefers. This will inform the mass planting planned for 2020.
The reintroduction of Erica verticillata is an exciting step in the conservation of Rondebosch Common and Cape Flats Sand Fynbos habitat. We would like to welcome this beautiful Erica home again.
If you would like to join and support the Friends of Rondebosch Common, please get in touch with them at friendsofrondeboschcommon@gmail.com. You can follow the work of the Rondebosch Common Restoration Project on Facebook: @RondeboschCommonRestoration or on Instagram: @RondeboschCommonFriends.
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