''Umtiza'' is a monotypic genus in the legume family
containing the single species ''Umtiza listeriana''. This tree is
endemic to a small coastal portion of the
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...
in
South Africa.
Distribution
''Umtiza listeriana'' is found from
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
to
Kentani and
King William's Town,
with an
EOO of at 6 known locations.
Conservation
In 2020, an area of surrounding the
Umtiza Nature Reserve
The Umtiza Nature Reserve is one of two forest nature reserves in the greater East London Coast Nature Reserve. It is named after '' Umtiza listeriana'', a rare and protected legume found within the reserve. The Buffalo River borders the north ...
(one of the last refuges of ''Umtiza'') was declared a Controlled Forest Area to further protect and rehabilitate the remaining Umtiza Forest.
''Umtiza listeriana'' is threatened by the expansion of illegal settlements near the Umtiza Forest, leading to deforestation
and harvesting for
traditional medicine.
For these reasons
SANBI
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is an organisation established in 2004 in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, No 10 of 2004, under the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (l ...
has given it the conservation classification: Vulnerable B1ab(v).
Gallery
Pretoria National Botanical Garden
The Pretoria National Botanical Garden is one of South Africa's nine National Botanical Gardens. The garden is wedged between Pretoria Road and Cussonia Avenue in Brummeria, in eastern Pretoria, Gauteng, and flanks a central rocky ridge that run ...
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File:Umtiza listeriana 20D 3022.jpg, Tree
File:Umtiza listeriana 1DS-II 3-3920.jpg, ''Umtiza listeriana'' flowers visited by an
(''Apis mellifera scutellata'')
File:Umtiza listeriana 1DS-II 1002.jpg, Bark
File:Umtiza listeriana 1DS-II 3-3912.jpg
File:Umtiza listeriana 1DS-II 1004.jpg, Old