The True Sugarbush or Suikerbossie, Protea repens, is so well-known that it barely needs any introduction. After the King Protea, Protea cynaroides, it is probably the most familiar of the proteas. It got its common name from the quantity of nectar that the flowers produce. So much in fact that…
Pink and yellow may not be people’s first choice when it comes to home décor or fashion, but when it occurs naturally the combination is exquisite. Here at Phillipskop, we have two species of Oxalis that flower at the same time and in more or less the same habitat: the…
We have highlighted some beautiful and interesting plants on these pages, but Asparagus rubicundus features on account of its status as one of my least favourite plants at Phillipskop. (At least it is native; the invasive alien plants easily beat it in the bad plant category.) It most commonly grows…
Autumn sees the appearance of small white candles of Bulbinella trinervis scattered through the fynbos. Their slender columns of starry white flowers top a leafless flowering stem that looks just like the surrounding restios. The open flowers belie the genus’s close relationship to their bold bright cousin, the red-hot pokers,…
The common name vygie is used for members of the Aizoaceae with showy daisy-like flowers. The name, prounounced “fay-gh-ee”, comes from the Afrikaans for “little fig”. The seedpods do look rather fig-like, especially those belonging to the genus Carpobrotus, which are fleshy and have numerous small seeds inside. Most vygies…
It is difficult to capture on camera the essence of some plants. The flowers can be separated from the leaves, which might be hidden by surrounding foliage or the flowers may be so diffuse on a plant that one can only focus on a single flower at a time. One…
