Veld condition assessments in sour bushveld¹

Abstract

The vegetation of the farm “Groothoek” in the Waterberg district of the Transvaal, situated in the Sour Bushveld, was recently studied using the Braun‐Blanquet method. As nested quadrats were used for sampling the vegetation, the condition of the vegetation was assessed for each community, using frequency in 1 m² quadrats to determine percentage composition. The results indicate relationships between total percentage canopy cover and percentage decreasers as well as total percentage basal cover and the composition scores of the veld condition assessments. The use of the veld condition assessment with the floristic classification helped to explain anomalies in, and improved the value of, the classification.