Clivia caulescens | SANBI Sensitive Species

Assessor: Sarah Schumann

Sensitive in 2010

Family

Amaryllidaceae

Reason for the sensitivity status

This species is sensitive as it is threatened with harvesting of wild individuals for horticultural and medicinal plant trade, causing population decline. Clivia traders are not thought to differentiate between species, making the genus vulnerable to exploitation. Although this species does not have a small population size, it produces few seeds, whereby with over-harvesting it is susceptible to decline. Releasing data on this species can exacerbate threat and vulnerability.

This species is threatened by widespread, unregulated, unsustainable exploitation of wild populations. The localities of remaining populations need to be protected to avoid any further exploitation, which is likely to drive it to extinction.

Exploitation extent

Significant - wild individuals of the species are known to be exploited, collected, traded or utilized in a targeted manner, and utilisation is widespread, affects the majority of wild populations and/or is causing rapid decline of the wild population.

Justification and references

According to the SANBI Red List Assessment, this species is Near Threatened as it is threatened with collection of wild individuals for the horticultural and medicinal plant trades (Williams et al. 2008). Several research papers have indicated the utilization of Clivia species in medicinal trade (Williams et al. 2007; Williams et al. 2013; Mbongwa et al. 2021). Traders of Clivia species are not thought to differentiate between species and so the genus is being targeted and under threat of over-exploitation (Williams et al. 2008). This species is amongst the most prevalent Clivias at trade markets (Williams et al. 2008).

Williams, V.L., Witkowski, E.T. and Balkwill, K., 2007. Volume and financial value of species traded in the medicinal plant markets of Gauteng, South Africa. International journal of sustainable development & world ecology, 14(6), pp.584-603.

Williams, V.L., Raimondo, D., Crouch, N.R., Cunningham, A.B., Scott-Shaw, C.R., Lötter, M. & Ngwenya, A.M. 2008. Clivia caulescens R.A.Dyer. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version 2020.1.

Williams, V.L., Victor, J.E. and Crouch, N.R., 2013. Red listed medicinal plants of South Africa: status, trends, and assessment challenges. South African Journal of Botany, 86, pp.23-35.

Mbongwa, N.S., Twine, W.C. and Williams, V.L., 2021. Medicinal plant cultivation: Beliefs and perceptions of traditional healers and muthi traders in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, South Africa. South African Journal of Botany, 143, pp.123-132.

Population vulnerability

Population is not vulnerable: size is > 2500 mature individuals, AND the number of known subpopulations is > 5 AND range > 100km²

Justification and references

This taxon has a large distribution and so is thought to be less threatened by wild harvesting (Williams et al. 2008). This species is expected to decline by 25% in the next 90 years (Williams et al. 2008).

Targeted demographics

Mature (breeding) individuals are killed, significantly weakened or are permanently removed from the wild, OR immature individuals are targeted and this significantly impacts mature (breeding) individuals.

Justification and references

Whole individuals are harvested from the wild as well as only the stems being cut (Williams et al. 2008; Williams et al. 2007).

Regeneration potential

This species has a slow population growth rate, or the growth rate varies depending on habitat, and there is a poor chance the wild populations will recover from exploitation OR a collector might feasibly harvest the entire extant population removing the chance of subsequent recruitment.

Justification and references

Clivia species are among the slowest growing in the Amaryllidaceae genus (Williams et al. 2008). This species tends to coppice when stems are cut off enabling its regeneration however it also produces few seeds which when over-exploited, reduces recruitment (Williams et al. 2008).

Reference file

Clivia caulescens Threatened Species Programme _ SANBI Red List of South African Plants.pdf770.17 KB

clivia_ Search Result _ eBay.pdf1.28 MB