Your enjoyment of the Cape will be enhanced by an
understanding of the uniqueness of the flora of this
beautiful area. Of the world's six floral
kingdoms, the Cape Floral kingdom is the smallest, but
the most diverse for its size.
Some plants from the Kingdom are famous, including
the magnificently flowering Protea and the Rooibos, the
leaves of which are used in the now well-known herbal
tea, Rooibos tea - the "bush tea" famously imbibed by
Alexander McCall Smith's heroin Precious Ramotswe.
The Cape Floral Kingdom lies entirely within South
Africa. While it occupies less than 6% of South Africa,
the kingdom comprises 1/3 of the plant species in
Southern Africa. With less than 1% of land surface
of the globe, it contains 10% of all plant species in
the world. Of the estimated 9000 species of plants in
the Cape Region, 69% are endemic - found nowhere else
on earth.
The region is characterised by nutrient-poor soils,
a Mediterranean climate with winter rains and summer
droughts, and regular bush fires that occur naturally
every 10 to 15 years. These wildfire are necessary for
the regeneration of certain plants in the biome and
therefore wildfire management is a crucial part of the
conservation plan.
Within the Cape Floral Kingdom - and almost
synonymous with it - is the Fynbos Biome but the "biome"
refers just to the two key vegetation groups (Fynbos and
Renosterveld). Other vegetation types in the Forest,
Nama Karoo, Succulent Karoo and Thicket Biomes.
Fynbos and Renosterveld incluces proteas and daisies
(the wildflowers that are so colorfully profuse in the
Cape when in bloom) as well a geophytes. Because
of the relatively higher soil fertility the herds of
large game supported in this area occurred in
Renosterveld such as Mountain Zebra, the now extinct
Quagga and Bluebuck, Red Hartebeest, Eland, Bontebok,
Elephant, Black Rhino and Buffalo along with Lion,
Cheetah, Wild Dog, Spotted Hyena and Leopard. Of these
large mammals, only the Mountain Zebra and Leopard
survived (by fleeing to the mountains), with the
Bontebok just surviving near Bredasdorp. All the other
species became extinct in the Fynbos Biome although many
have been introduced into conservation areas from
outside the region.
The flora continues to be threatened by agricultural
and urban expansion as well as by alien vegetation
invasion. Private conservation and state-private sector
collaborative partnerships are essential for the
long-term conservation of much of the regions
biodiversity.
