Plant reference sources
The following sources have been used to develop our plants database. Click on a source to learn more about the associated plants and how the information was compiled.
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The grass-velds of Johannesburg suburbs: the Houghton Estate J. Burtt-Davy
A study that was done over 100 years ago (!). Grasses were identified within a twenty-acre block on the Houghton Estate. The reason being that 'dairying is such an important industry around Johannesburg', and 'the sources of food supply available for dairy cows are worth careful study'. How times in the Johannesburg suburbs have changed! But it provides us a useful list of grasses that existed in this area over …
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Treelist Melville Koppies Wendy Carstens
This is a list of the tree species that occur in the nature reserve of Melville Koppies, and are therefore species that are more likely to be suitable to rocky outcrop areas
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Conservation value of the Egoli Granite Grassland, an endemic grassland in Gauteng, South Africa G.J. Bredenkamp, L.R. Brown, M.F. Pfab
Gauteng is the most densely populated province in South Africa. Its remaining natural areas are constantly under threat from urban development and the associated impacts. Presently, the natural areas of Gauteng support a large diversity of ecosystems. One such ecosystem is the Egoli Granite Grassland, endemic to the province, poorly conserved and therefore highly threatened. This paper describes the original Egoli Granite Grassland and the anthropogenic Hyparrhenia hirta dominated grassland …
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Field Guide to The Wildflowers of Witwatersrand & Pretoria, including Magaliesberg and Suikerbosrand Braam Van Wyk, Sasa Malan
The Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Witwatersrand & Pretoria Region by Braam van Wyk is an innovative guide that helps identify the immense variety of local wildflowers by first grouping them into six color categories, making identification easier. It covers 763 species with full-color photos, diagnostic features, and information on life cycles, height, and distribution, serving as an essential tool for discovering the rich flora of areas …
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The vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Strelitzia 19 (2006) Ladislav Mucina and Michael C. Rutherford
The 57 species that define Egoli Granite Grasslands, the historical vegetation type of northern Johannesburg were extracted from this source, called "The vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Strelitzia 19". This is a definitive source on vegetation types from South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI), so this list of plant species could be said to be definitive of Egoli Granite Grasslands. While this list of plants is definitive, as …
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PlantZAfrica South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
The PlantZAfrica website (pza.sanbi.org) is an authoritative online resource dedicated to celebrating and providing information about the plants of southern Africa. It is run by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and is a valuable resource for gardeners, botanists, students, and anyone interested in the region's diverse flora. It was started in 2000 and accessed in 2025. Content is developed by the horticultural and scientific staff of SANBI
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Ferns of the Witwatersrand Florence D. Hancock and Annabelle Lucas
Ferns of the Witwatersrand is a beautifully illustrated guide to identifying and appreciating the 32 species of ferns found in the area. Ferns are not commonly associated with the grasslands or savanna of the interior, but find moist and shaded conditions in kloofs, along rivers and wetland areas. This book successfully argues for the place of ferns in our imagination of our environment here, and for their appreciation regenerating our …
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Delta Park plant species, 2026 Delta Park
This plant species list shows what plants are currently found in Delta Park. This list was taken from GBIF, which combines a number of sources of data, including iNaturalist. It is not a comprehensive list, but gives an idea of what is present at the moment.
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Egoli Granite Grassland species list, with plants recommended for landscaping Ivan van der Walt, Abrus
This species list is curated by Ivan van der Walt specifically for the Egoli Granite Grasslands area, which is the northern suburbs of Joburg. The list's primary purpose is to guide people doing landscaping in this area so that landscaping can have a significant role in supporting local biodiversity. There is no longer sufficient land to create nature reserves of enough size to conserve this vegetation type through traditional conservation, …
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