Vegetation ecology of the southern Free State: Shrubland communities of the rocky outcrops

A phytosociological analysis of the vegetation of the rocky outcrops of the southern Free State is presented Relevés were compiled in 185 stratified random sample plots. A TWINSPAN classification, refined by Braun-Blanquet procedures, resulted in 35 plant communities. All these communities have ecological similarities and differences as pointed out by the DCA ordination. The described communities serve as a basis for their spatial distribution in this area as well as for determining their conservation status in the face of increasing development and agriculture