Without doubt one of the trickiest groups of plants to identify in the fynbos are the restios. They often dominate the Cape Flora over large areas and while any of the other fynbos groups can be absent from a particular … Continue reading
We at Fynbos Hub are very proud to launch our photographic library of Cape plants. The majority of the initial 584 species in 72 families featured were taken by the late Heiner Lutzeyer on Grootbos Nature Reserve (www.grootbos.com). Over the last fifteen … Continue reading
I mentioned a few weeks back that there had been a fire on Flower Valley in autumn and all sorts of flowering treasures are appearing in the veld on a weekly basis. While guiding a group of hikers on the Fynbos … Continue reading
A few weeks ago a small controlled fire on Flower Valley (www.flowervalley.org.za) jumped a fire break and spread up the southern slopes of Grootberg. Fortunately with the aid of two helicopters (and some timeous light rain that started falling in the … Continue reading
Diosma demissa is a rare fynbos member of the Rutaceae (citrus) family that has a very interesting distribution. It grows only on coastal limestone ridges with two populations; one on the coast near Gansbaai and the second some 90km away across the South Atlantic on a short … Continue reading
A few year ago I spent some time with a Scottish visitor to the Cape who was proudly telling me about the two species of pink heather that flowered up on the mountains above his farm. It was May and … Continue reading
The Kogelberg region of the Cape is generally accepted as the true heart of the Cape floral Kingdom, an area of unprecendeted floral diversity and natural beauty. As a result some 100 000 hectares stretching from the coast (Gordons Bay … Continue reading
While the fields of the large, showy pincushions such as the silver-edge pincushions tend to steal the show at this time of the year, there is a group of other, less obvious pincushion proteas that are also flowering – but … Continue reading
We have had a wonderful spring for flowering annuals and bulbs in the Overberg this year. I think it is a combination of good rains in June and the fact that we are now five years since the last fire … Continue reading
The bright orange flowers of Leucospermum patersonii (the silver-edge pincushion) act as a ‘landing pad’ for sugarbirds which delve down into the flowers with their long beaks to extract nectar. The pollen is placed onto the birds heads by the long … Continue reading
