Area Conserved: 150 ha Wine District: Tygerberg Owner / Contact Person: Granville Klerk Phone: (021) 558 6280 Website: www.degrendel.co.za

The historic farm of De Grendel, owned by Sir David Graaff, is of utmost importance in conserving vegetation that is on the verge of extinction as it is situated and contains approximately 150ha of rare Swartland Shale Renosterveld vegetation, on the western slopes of the Tygerberg Hills. This type of vegetation is critically endangered and only 0.5% of the original extent of the Swartland Renosterveld is formally conserved. The Tygerberg hills have been identified by the City of Cape Town as key conservation habitat as it contains the largest renosterveld fragments remaining in the city. The eastern slopes of the Tygerberg were intensely cultivated until about 50 years ago.

During 1992 and 1993, the plant species of on the western slopes of the Tygerberg were surveyed by the then National Botanical Institute. De Grendel’s renosterveld has little rocky outcrops which contain unique communities of succulent plants. In 2004, it was discovered that De Grendel has a critically endangered small succulent shrub called Antimima aristulata – it is known from only one other location. Another very rare species found on the property is a small creeping plant in the pea family, Lotononis prostrata. The most exciting of all is that a delicate bulb species called Lachenalia liliflorum was found on De Grendel in 2005. The plant was thought to be extinct in the wild – the last population disappeared under a housing development – but volunteers from the “Friends of the Tygerberg” discovered another population and a week later, botanist Rupert Koopman found a few more thriving plants in the area.
Seen here is Lachenalia liliflorum – saved from extinction on De Grendel.