Weekly Report

7 August 2026

City
Overall Risk
Tree Pollen
Grass Pollen
Weed Pollen
Mould Spores

Summary

Tree pollen was high in Cape Town and Bloemfontein. Flowering trees include cypress, mulberry, plane, olive, poplar and mulberry.

Cape Town

Tree pollen was high and included mulberry (Moraceae), pine (Pinaceae), yellowwood (Podocarpaceae), cypress (Cupressaceae) hackberry (Celtis), waxberry (Morella), sumac (Anacardiaceae)and olive (Oleaceae). Weeds were protea (Proteaceae), sorrel (Rumex) and bulrush (Typhaceae) and moulds were low.

Johannesburg

Tree counts are still low and include hackberry, the dominant tree plane (Platanaceae), hackberry (Celtis), cypress (Cupressaceae), beech (Fagus), ash (Fraxinus), pine (Pinaceae), yellowwood (Podocarpaceae) and mulberry (Moraceae). No weed pollen was detected and grasses and moulds were low.

Pretoria

All pollen concentrations would be low at this time of the year. Trees might be cypress (Cupressaceae), pine (Pinaceae), willow (Salicaceae). Poplar (Populaceae), linden (Tiliaceae), mulberry (Moraceae), yellowwood (Podocarpaceae), birch (Betula), karee (Searsia) and oak (Quercus). Weeds might be nettles (Urtiacacea), mallows (Malvaceae), hop-bush (Dodonaea), the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae), erica (Ericaceae), spurges (Euphorbiaceae) and the daisy family (Asteraceae). Moulds would be low. 6-year means were used.

Bloemfontein

Tree pollen is significant at this site and includes the dominant tree poplar (Populaceae), birch (Betula), false olive (Buddleia), hackberry (Celtis), cypress (Cupressaceae), ash (Fraxinus), plane (Platanaceae), pine (Pinaceae), yellowwood (Podocarpaceae), oak (Quercus) and elm (Ulmaceae). Weeds were low and included pigmyweeds (Crassulaceae), sedges (Cyperaceae) and erica (Ericaceae). Grasses were low, as were moulds.

 Kimberley 

Tree, grass and weed pollen was low at this sampling site. Trees included birch (Betula), hackberry (Combretaceae), cypress (Cupressaceae), olive (Oleaceae), pine (Pinaceae) and karee (Searsia). Weeds were the daisy family (Asteraceae) and erica (Ericaceae) and moulds were low.

Durban

Tree and weed pollen was low at this site and no grass pollen was detected. Trees included the monkey puzzle tree (Araucariaceae). Birch (Betula), pecan (Carya), cypress (Cupressaceae), ash (Fraxinus), mulberry (Moraceae), waxberry (Morella), pine (Pinaceae), yellowwood (Podocarpaceae), poplar (Populaceae) and oak (Quercus). Weeds were goosefoot (Chenopodiaceae), plantain (Plantaginaceae), lily (Liliaceae), pigmyweeds (Crassulaceae) nightshade (Solanaceae), bulrush (Typhaceae) and nettles (Urticaceae) and fern spores (Polypodiaceae) were seen. Moulds were low.

Gqeberha

Pollen in all three categories was low. Trees were cedar (Cedrus), and pine (Pinaceae) and weeds were pigweed (Amaranthaceae), erica (Ericaceae) and slangbos (Stoebe-type). Moulds were low.

George

All pollen concentrations would be low at this time of the year at this sampling site. Trees might be cypress (Cupressaceae), waxberry (Morella) and yellowwood (Podocarpaceae) and weeds might be spurges (Euphorbiaceae), erica (Ericaceae) and protea (Proteaceae). Moulds would be low. 2-year means were used.

Reference Range

Grass:      Low: 0-5       Moderate:      6-20         High: 21-200

Trees:      Low: 0-15     Moderate:    16-90         High: 91-1500

Weeds:   Low: 0-10      Moderate:   10-50         High: 51-500

Moulds:  Low: 0-900    Moderate:  900-2500   High 2500-25000

Unit: per cubic metre