Phyllogeiton trachybasis

Ecology: — Phyllogeiton trachybasis is a sub-canopy or canopy tree found mainly on well-drained, deep sandy soils at low elevations to about 100 m above sea level. Trees grow mainly in Tembe Sandy Bushveld (SVl 18) in open to closed woodland (codes of vegetation types follow Mucina & Rutherford 2006 and SANBI 2006 – 2018). They also grow in Sand Forest (FOz 8) patches in a mosaic with Tembe Sandy Bushveld (Fig. 1). The species may also occur in Western Maputaland Sandy Bushveld (SVI 19) at Ndumo Game Reserve, but information recorded on collecting labels is insufficient to confirm its presence in this vegetation type. Phyllogeiton trachybasis has also been collected between Cape Vidal and Lake Sibaya in dune forest, which is included in the broader category Northern Coastal Forest (FOz 7). The most recent of these collections was in 1997, but the demographics of the species in dune forest are unknown. Besides its normal sandy habitat, the species was collected once (Moll 5291 in Herbs K, NH, PRE) in 1971 from riverine forest embedded in Zululand Lowveld (SVl 23). This was on the Mansiya River in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park where the presence of eight trees growing in the river’s floodplain was recently confirmed (F. du Randt, S. Louw, and S. Mabongwa, pers. comm.). The new species also apparently occurs occasionally in Scarp Forest (FOz 5). It was collected in this forest type in 1959 in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park on a steep, southwest-facing rocky slope at an elevation of about 500 m (Ward 2947 in Herb. NU). A visit by F. du Randt, S. Louw, and S. Mabongwa on 18 May 2021 to try and relocate this plant or plants was unsuccessful. Flowers are visited by honey bees. The fruit is eaten by birds, notably Trumpeter Hornbills, Bycanistes bucinator Temminck (1824: livr. 48, pl. 284), at Nibela and Vervet Monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus Cuvier (1821: 2) (Pooley 1978, C. Hanekom, pers. comm.), although at Nibela it is reported that monkeys and people don’t feed on the fruit (G. Linforth, pers. comm.). African Elephants, Loxodonta africana Blumenbach (1797: 125), damage trees and this has killed at least one tree at Tembe Elephant Park (C. Hanekom, pers. comm.). Nyala antelope, Tragelaphus angasii Angas (1849: 89), quickly removed fresh leaves from a cut branch at Bonamanzi Game Reserve (D. Bishop, pers. comm.) and are therefore suspected to browse on low-growing plants of the species. No young plants are known in the wild, but the species is, despite the hard endocarp of the stone, easy to grow without any special treatment besides removal of the fleshy part of the pericarp (G. Nichols, pers. comm.). Possible reasons for the apparent lack of recruits are herbivory, disease or that conditions suitable for germination and establishment on sandy soils are rare. The tree is an occasional host to the epiphytic orchids Ansellia africana Lindley (1844: sub t. 12) and Polystachya concreta (Jacquin 1760: 30) Garay & Sweet (1974: 206).