Preliminary syntaxonomic scheme of vegetation classes for the Central Bushveld of South Africa

Abstract

Data from 29 vegetation studies done in the socalled Central Bushveld, South Africa (a large region N and NW of Pretoria), were subject to syntaxonomic synthesis using TWINSPAN and further refined with traditional tablesorting procedures of the floristic-sociological approach to classification of vegetation. The analysis revealed four major groups of communities, interpreted at this stage as zonal vegetation classes which we preliminarily name: Commiphoromollis-Colophospermetea mopani, Panico maximi-Acaciatea tortilis, Terminalio sericeae-Combretetea apiculati and Englerophyto magalismontani-Acacietea caffrae.