Orchids
Plant Life (Flora) in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
From Fynbos and succulent plants to orchids and the national flower “Protea” – the Cape Point National Park in South Africa offers a variety of plant species. It is also a part of the “Cape Floral Kingdom”. In springtime, you can see colourful flowers spreading all over this area – the southwesternmost point of Africa.
Cape Floral Kingdom (smallest but most diverse plant kingdom in the world)
The flora at the Cape of Good Hope belongs to the “Cape Floral Kingdom” which is very diverse and unique and spreads across the Western and Eastern Cape region of South Africa. In 2004, the “Cape Floral Kingdom” was declared as one of the 6 plant kingdoms in the world. It is the smallest plant kingdoms on earth but it hosts the highest number of species.
The Cape Point National Park in South Africa offers 1100 different plant species – many of these are endemic to this region. This little part of the world boasts more plant species than the whole of Great Britain or New Zealand.
Besides Fynbos vegetation and several flower species this nature reserve also offers aloes and reed-like plants.
Fynbos (“fine bush”): Proteas and Ericas
Fynbos means “fine bush”. The small bushes and shrubs are the typical vegetation at the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. There are 2 different types of Fynbos: the Coastal Fynbos (grows on alkaline sandy soils) and the Inland Fynbos (grows on sour soils).
The Fynbos vegetation at the Cape of Good Hope also consists of 30 different Protea species and 139 Erica species (heather flowers).
Flower Species at the Cape of Good Hope
Spring Flowers at the Cape of Good Hope (September-October)
Beautiful carpets of spring flowers cover vast areas in the whole Cape region during the South African spring (September to October – after sufficient rainfall). The impressive display of vibrant orange, violet, white and yellow flowers captivates any visitor. The spring flowers in South Africa are a famous photo scene.
Image Credit: Joachim Huber @Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
