From fragments to figures: Estimating the number of Encephalartos stems in a muthi market

Abstract

There is an active trade in South African Encephalartos species in traditional medicine (muthi) outlets throughout the country. No attempt has been made to date to estimate the number of individual stems damaged by harvesters supplying stem fragments (including bark strips) to the markets. To progress from stem fragments to stem figures, a plausible technique of enumerating the number of stems from which the fragments were derived is proposed. The method considered the physical condition, post-harvest age and stem diameter of fragments identified to species level. From the samples of 133 cycad fragments purchased in the Johannesburg and Durban muthi markets in 2009, it was estimated that they originated from 81 different damaged stems (66% of which were likely to have been from Encephalartos natalensis). This estimate is a significant advance in quantifying this hitherto unknown aspect of the cycad trade.