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…
With over 100 species of Erica in the Klein River Mountains, you would be hard-pressed to call a winner amongst them in a beauty contest. But if one species were to take pride of place, then it would probably be Erica aristata. This is reflected in its common name Pride…
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…
Succulent plants are somewhat rare in fynbos, especially compared to the Karoo to the north. But the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae, has a number of fynbos species. Most of these produce small flowers, pollinated by bees or even smaller insects. Two species though, Crassula fascicularis and Crassula coccinea, have large flowers…
A curious aspect of living amongst the Cape Flora is that we sometimes forget how special some of our commoner plants actually are. A case in point is Saltera sarcocolla. This species is found widely across the whole of the Klein River Mountains. It is found both at low and…
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…
