Alien plant species also tax the city’s water supply, as they tend to use more water than native vegetation. Cape Town’s population nearly doubled between 19, putting a significant strain on the city’s infrastructure and water resources. Fynbos have evolved so that they need these brush fires to survive, and new shoots start to appear just five days after they burn. Today, South Africa’s cricket team is nicknamed the Proteas because they’re known to bloom after adversity.Īccording to the World Wildlife Fund, there are five major threats to fynbos: urbanisation, alien plant species, irregular fires, global climate change and new forms of agriculture. These dormant buds can remain inactive underground for decades, but when a fire occurs, it stimulates them to germinate and they emerge in a glorious blaze of colours. All Proteas, from the delicate pink tips of the Leucospermum ‘Spider’ to fireball-red Leucospermum ‘Flame Giant’, have thistle-like flowers and thick woody stems containing dormant buds. This plant appears on South Africa’s coat of arms and, according to the South African government, was chosen as ‘an emblem representing the beauty of our land, with the flower representing our potential as a nation in the pursuit of an African Renaissance’.ĭue to its various shapes and colours, the Protea genus was named after the Greek god Proteus, who could assume many different forms. Proteas, the most famous fynbos, include South Africa’s national flower, the king protea. These plants blanket rugged mountains, rolling hills, sprawling plains and rock-strewn beaches and can be as diverse as the gnarled branches of the homely rhinoceros bush and the delicate bell-shaped flowers of the Erica.įynbos is dominated by four plant families: Protea, Erica, Restio and Geophyte. They range from low-lying shrubs and succulents to spiky reeds and flamboyant orchids, lilies and proteas. The name ‘fynbos’ encompasses some 9,000 plant species that come in almost all shapes, sizes and colours.
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