Several plant species in the fynbos are sticky, whether in their stems, leaves, or flowers, and this characteristic is often reflected in their scientific names. One such plant is Moraea bituminosa, a member of the iris family known for its very sticky flowering stems. The specific name bituminosa is derived…
The first autumn rains bring the arrival of the Single-leaved Cape Stars, Pauridia monophylla, to the upper slopes of Phillipskop. These are members of the Hypoxidaceae family, one of the geophytic members of the fynbos flora with small corms. Most species flower in winter and spring, but the yellow star-shaped…
One of the challenges of identifying species in the fynbos is that sometimes very different looking plants are classified under the same species. This is not surprising when species have a wide distribution range, but is more challenging when they grow in close proximity. This variation may be just due…
One of our most beautiful plants at Phillipskop and indeed in the Cape flora itself is Nerine sarniensis. But both the scientific name and the common name, Guernsey Lily (Sarnia is the Latin for the English Channel island of Guernsey), are decidely inappropriate for a species confined to the Western…
The genus Wachendorfia consists of four species found exclusively in the Greater Cape Floristic Region. All four of them also occur at Phillipskop. The genus is easily identified on account of the strongly pleated lanceolate leaves, and many-flowered inflorescences of apricot to yellow flowers. A more unusual feature of Wachendorfia…
The bright pink Ixia stricta, with its contrasting yellow anthers, appears towards the end of the season of spring bulbs in the Overberg. The stem is very thin and delicate, like most Ixia species, yet it holds itself quite upright. From this habit it gets its name, “stricta”. Stricta is…
