A vlei () is a shallow minor lake, mostly of a seasonal or

intermittent Intermittency is a behavior of dynamical systems: regular alternation of phases of apparently periodic and chaotic dynamics. Intermittent or intermittency may also refer to: *Intermittent river or stream, the one that ceases to flow every year or ...

nature. It even might refer to seasonal ponds or marshy patches where frogs and similar marsh dwellers breed. Commonly, vleis vary in their extent, or even in the presence or absence of water, according to the fall of rain or dryness of the season."Compendium of South African history and geography", by George McCall Theal, Edition: 3 - 1877
9
/ref> In terms of water

salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal ...

, vleis may be

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

, saltwater, or brackish. Over time a vlei may degrade into a salt pan or clay pan, such as Dead Vlei or Sossusvlei. Ecoregions

Ecology

Vleis of various types can be of considerable local ecological importance, harboring many endemic and migratory species. Most vleis are too minor to be granted recognition in the form of a name. However, some major vleis are accorded names, for example Rondevlei and Zeekoevlei in the Cape Peninsula, which are permanent bodies of water. Indeed, Rondevlei is home to hippopotamus. The term is the basis of various biological

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

s, such as *

vlei rat African vlei rats (''Otomys''), also known as groove-toothed rats, live in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Most species live in marshlands, grasslands, and similar habitats and feed on the vegetation of such areas, occasionally supplementing ...

, rodents in the genus ''Otomys'' * '' vleiroos'' (literally "marsh rose") * '' vleikuiken'' (literally "vlei chick") *

vlei frog ''Phlyctimantis maculatus'' is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. They are silvery greyish-brown with dark brown to black spots, and derive their name from bright red coloring on the ventral side of their hind legs. Adult body length ...

Etymology

The word ' is used predominantly in South Africa. It is an Afrikaans word derived from the Middle Dutch word for "valley" ('). Unabridged In Afrikaans, however, its meaning changed into that of the shallow lake. The Afrikaans and modern Dutch word for "valley" is '. The North American placename '' vlaie'' is

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...

with ', having the same Middle Dutch derivation.

References

{{portalbar, Lakes Intermittent lakes Afrikaans words and phrases