Fynbos
Encyclopedia
Fynbos (ˈfəinbɒs, or anglicised as ˈfeɪnbɒs) is the natural shrubland
or heathland
vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape
of South Africa
, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate
. The Fynbos ecoregion
is within the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
biome
.
The word fynbos is the Afrikaans for "fine bush", referring to the thin leaves.
Of the world's six floral kingdoms, this is the smallest and richest per area unit. Contrast it in size with the Holarctic
kingdom, which incorporates the whole of the northern hemisphere apart from the tropical regions. The diversity of fynbos plants is extremely high, with over 9000 species of plants occurring in the area, around 6200 of which are endemic
, i.e. they do not grow anywhere else in the world. This level of variety is comparable to tropical rainforest
s or large islands and is unique in a relatively dry continental area. Of the Erica
s, 600 occur in the fynbos kingdom, while only 26 are found in the rest of the world. This is in an area of 46,000 km² - by comparison, the Netherlands
, with an area of 33,000 km², has 1400 species, none of them endemic. Table Mountain in Cape Town
supports 2200 species, more than the entire United Kingdom
. Thus, although the Fynbos comprises only 6% of the area of southern Africa, it has half the species on the subcontinent – and in fact has almost 1 in 5 of all plant species in Africa.
Five river systems traverse the Cape floral kingdom: the Oliphants River of the Western Cape; the Berg River
which drains the West Coast Forelands plain stretching from the Cape Flats
to the Olifants; the Breede
, which is the largest river on the Cape; the Olifants River (Southern Cape)
; Gourits
and the Groot River
s which drain the Little Karoo basin and the South Coast Forelands; and the Baviaanskloof
and Gamtoos River
s to the east.
for fine bush and refers to the fine, needle-like leaves of many fynbos species. The majority of the plants are evergreen
sclerophyll
(hard-leaf) plants. The characteristic fynbos plant families are proteas
, ericas
, and restios
. Proteas are represented by many species and are prominent in the landscape as one of the few large-leaf plant types, generally with large striking flowers which may be pollinated by birds. Ericas or heaths are generally smaller plants with many small, tubular flowers and needle-like leaves. The grass-like restios - only a few species of which are known outside the fynbos area - grow in wetter areas. More than 1400 bulb species occur among the fynbos, of which 96 are gladiolus
and 54 lachenalia
s. Areas that mainly consist of ericas are known as Renosterveld
(Afrikaans for "rhinoceros veldt").
Fire is a necessary stage in the lives of almost all fynbos plants, and is common during the dry summer months. Many of the seeds germinate only after the intense heat of a fire. In readiness for fire, most proteas retain their seeds on the bush for at least one year, a habit known as serotiny
. They do this in structures which resemble the original flowerheads. In some species these structures are strikingly beautiful and long-lasting, which accounts for their use in dried floral arrangements. Around 30% of plants in the Fynbos produce seeds with an elaiosome
which attract ants that carry the seeds into their burrows. In this way, the seeds are protected from fire. This relationship is an example of myrmecochory
(the distribution of seeds by ants). Perhaps the continual renewal of the foliage by fire and myrmecochory has generated the explosion of plant speciation in the Cape.
s, the lowland fynbos (below 300m) on the sandy soil of the west coast and the montane fynbos of the Cape Fold Belt
.
The Lowland Fynbos and Renosterveld experiences regular winter rainfall, especially to the west of Cape Agulhas
. The ecoregion has been subdivided into nine areas: the West Coast Forelands from the Cape Flats to the Olifants River (Western Cape); the Warm Bokkeveld basin around the town of Ceres
; the Elgin Valley around the town of Elgin
; the sandy Agulhas Plain on the coast; the Breede River valley around the town of Worcester
; the South Coast Forelands from Caledon
west to Mossel Bay
; the south-eastern end of the Little Karoo; Langkloof
valley; and the Southeastern Coast Forelands west from Tsitsikamma to Port Elizabeth.
The flora of the lowlands contains a high number of endemic species and tends to consist of larger plants than that of the hillier areas, including restios and proteas such as King Protea (Protea cynaroides) and blushing bride (Serruria florida
). Particular types of lowland fynbos include: the shrubs and herbs of the coastal sand dunes; the mixture of ericoids and restoids with thickets of shrubs such as Maytenus
and other Celastraceae
, sideroxylon
s and other Sapotaceae
, and Rhus and other Anacardiaceae
on the coastal sands; the classic fynbos of the sandplains of the West Coast Forelands, and the Agulhas Plain; the grassy fynbos of the hillier and wetter areas of the South and South-Eastern Coast Forelands; areas where fynbos and renosterveld are mixed; coastal renosterveld on the West and South Coast Forelands; and the inland renosterveld of the drier inland Little Karoo and Warm Bokkeveld.
The area is also home to a large number of endemic animals that have adapted to life in this area include the monkey beetle
s which pollinate Ixia viridiflora
. There are endemic species of fish in the five river systems in the area. Endemic reptiles include a number of tortoise
s and the chameleon-like Arum frog (Hyperolius horstockii
).
The same level of floral variety including all three characteristic fynbos families is found in the Montane Fynbos and Renosterveld, the areas above 300 m a total of 45,000 km2 of the Cape Fold Mountains, but ericas predominate. Original flora is more intact in these higher and wetter areas, which contain more protected areas and important water sources, than in the lowlands but agriculture and global warming are stll threats. The region includes: in the west the mountains from the Cape Peninsula
to the Kouebokkeveld Mountains
; the south coast hinterland from Elgin to Port Elizabeth; the mountains north of the Little Karoo from Laingsburg
to Willowmore; and the inselberg hills within the Little Karoo. About half of these areas are originally fynbos and about half renosterveld.
Many different microclimates occur so the flora changes from west to east and varies with altitude up the hillsides away from the coast and according to compass direction. Lower elevations are covered with protea fynbos with ericas taking over further up. Plant species include pincushions (Leucospermum
). The wildlife includes a number of endemic bees, beetles, horseflies and ants, and birds such as Cape Sugarbird
s and the Orange-breasted Sunbird
. Many of these birds and insects are important and specific pollinators for the fynbos, such as the Mountain Pride butterfly (Aeropetes tulbaghia) which only visits red flowers such as Disa uniflora
and pollinates 15 different species. Larger animals include the antelopes Cape Grysbok (Raphicerus melanotis), Common Duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), and Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus).
(Aspalathus linearis) and Honeybush
(Cyclopia intermedia) are of economic importance, grown and harvested in large quantities in the Cederberg
area, and providing important exports. Proteas and other floral species are grown in many areas and their flowers harvested for export. Restios continue to be used for thatching as they have for hundreds or even thousands of years.
In many areas with Mediterranean climates, fynbos species have become popular garden plants, in particular aloe
s and geraniums
, and in cooler regions are used as window plants.
and Port Elizabeth, and only a small portion is protected. Fynbos areas are also threatened by the spread of alien species, in particular wattle and acacia species from Australia, as well as pine plantations in the Cape Fold hills. Many species have gone extinct, and more than 1000 are endangered. Their conservation is a priority, and reserves have been established in many areas. Fynbos areas are a popular attraction for tourists, especially in the vicinity of Cape Town, and are also important recreational areas for locals. The Western Cape coast is travelled by the Garden Route
while large areas of natural fynbos can be seen in Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town and Table Mountain National Park
which covers most of the Cape Peninsula and in Tsitsikamma National Park to the east. There are a number of published hiking routes from Cape Town and other towns such as Elgin. The centre for visiting the Little Karoo is the town of Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world.
Shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
or heathland
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
. The Fynbos ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
is within the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, defined by the World Wildlife Fund, characterized by dry summers and rainy winters. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near some seas, as near San Francisco, which have a sea of cool waters...
biome
Biome
Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
.
The word fynbos is the Afrikaans for "fine bush", referring to the thin leaves.
Cape Floral Kingdom
Fynbos – which grows in a 100-to-200-km-wide coastal belt stretching from Clanwilliam on the West coast to Port Elizabeth on the Southeast coast – forms part of the Cape floral kingdom, where it accounts for half of the surface area and 80% of the plant varieties. The fynbos in the western regions is richer and more varied than in the eastern regions of South Africa.Of the world's six floral kingdoms, this is the smallest and richest per area unit. Contrast it in size with the Holarctic
Holarctic
The Holarctic ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole. This region is divided into the Palearctic, consisting of Northern Africa and all of Eurasia, with the exception of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and the Nearctic,...
kingdom, which incorporates the whole of the northern hemisphere apart from the tropical regions. The diversity of fynbos plants is extremely high, with over 9000 species of plants occurring in the area, around 6200 of which are endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
, i.e. they do not grow anywhere else in the world. This level of variety is comparable to tropical rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s or large islands and is unique in a relatively dry continental area. Of the Erica
Erica
Erica ,the heaths or heathers, is a genus of approximately 860 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. The English common names "heath" and "heather" are shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance....
s, 600 occur in the fynbos kingdom, while only 26 are found in the rest of the world. This is in an area of 46,000 km² - by comparison, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, with an area of 33,000 km², has 1400 species, none of them endemic. Table Mountain in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
supports 2200 species, more than the entire United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Thus, although the Fynbos comprises only 6% of the area of southern Africa, it has half the species on the subcontinent – and in fact has almost 1 in 5 of all plant species in Africa.
Five river systems traverse the Cape floral kingdom: the Oliphants River of the Western Cape; the Berg River
Berg River
The Berg River is a river located just north of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is approximately 294 km long with a catchment area of 7,715 km² and outlets into the Atlantic Ocean. About 65% of the Berg River area is under agriculture...
which drains the West Coast Forelands plain stretching from the Cape Flats
Cape Flats
The Cape Flats is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. To many people in Cape Town, the area is known simply as 'The Flats'....
to the Olifants; the Breede
Breede River
The Breede River , is a river in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Travelling inland north from Cape Town, the river runs in a west to east direction, the surrounding western mountains thus forming the first continental divide experienced by European settlers in the 18th century...
, which is the largest river on the Cape; the Olifants River (Southern Cape)
Olifants River (Southern Cape)
Olifants River has its origins in the Traka and Kalkwal Rivers north of the Swartberg, and becoming the Olifants River after flowing through the Toorwaterpoort, flowing west through Oudtshoorn and joining the Gourits River, then heading south to its mouth at Gouritsmond.The northern tributaries of...
; Gourits
Gourits River
Gourits River, sometimes spelled Gouritz River, is situated in the Western Cape, South Africa.The Gourits River flows from the confluence of the Gamka River and Olifants River and is joined by the Groot River, before flowing through the Langeberg Mountains and coastal plain. It eventually drains...
and the Groot River
Groot River (Eastern Cape)
The Groot River is a river in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces of South Africa.The Touws River tributary rises in the Matroosberg Mountains and flows east through the town of the same name and south into the Little Karoo, where it joins the Groot River...
s which drain the Little Karoo basin and the South Coast Forelands; and the Baviaanskloof
Baviaanskloof River
The Baviaanskloof River is a river flowing through the Cape Fold Mountains of the Western Cape and eventually Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The river's origin is in the eastern extremity of the Little Karoo, and follows a valley between these mountains eastwards...
and Gamtoos River
Gamtoos River
Gamtoos River formed by the Kouga and the Groot is situated in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and is approximately 645 km long with a catchment area of 34,635 km²...
s to the east.
Flora
The name fynbos is AfrikaansAfrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
for fine bush and refers to the fine, needle-like leaves of many fynbos species. The majority of the plants are evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
(hard-leaf) plants. The characteristic fynbos plant families are proteas
Proteaceae
Proteaceae is a family of flowering plants distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises about 80 genera with about 1600 species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae they make up the order Proteales. Well known genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea,...
, ericas
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
, and restios
Restionaceae
Restionaceae, also called restiads, is the botanical name for a family of rush-like flowering plants native to the Southern Hemisphere.- Description :...
. Proteas are represented by many species and are prominent in the landscape as one of the few large-leaf plant types, generally with large striking flowers which may be pollinated by birds. Ericas or heaths are generally smaller plants with many small, tubular flowers and needle-like leaves. The grass-like restios - only a few species of which are known outside the fynbos area - grow in wetter areas. More than 1400 bulb species occur among the fynbos, of which 96 are gladiolus
Gladiolus
Gladiolus is a genus of perennial bulbous flowering plants in the iris family...
and 54 lachenalia
Lachenalia
Lachenalia is a genus of bulbs in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa. Most of these plants have a dormancy period, and the new roots of these plants will always grow every year. Lachenalia is named after the Swiss botanist Werner de...
s. Areas that mainly consist of ericas are known as Renosterveld
Renosterveld
Renosterveld is a term used for one of the major plant communities and vegetation types of the Cape Floristic Region which is located in southwestern and southeastern South Africa, in southernmost Africa...
(Afrikaans for "rhinoceros veldt").
Fire
Serotiny
Serotiny is an ecological adaptation exhibited by some seed plants, in which seed release occurs in response to an environmental trigger, rather than spontaneously at seed maturation. The most common and best studied trigger is fire, and the term serotiny is often used to refer to this specific case...
. They do this in structures which resemble the original flowerheads. In some species these structures are strikingly beautiful and long-lasting, which accounts for their use in dried floral arrangements. Around 30% of plants in the Fynbos produce seeds with an elaiosome
Elaiosome
Elaiosomes are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species. The elaiosome is rich in lipids and proteins, and may be variously shaped. Many plants have elaiosomes to attract ants, which take the seed to their nest and feed the elaiosome to their larvae...
which attract ants that carry the seeds into their burrows. In this way, the seeds are protected from fire. This relationship is an example of myrmecochory
Myrmecochory
Myrmecochory is seed dispersal by ants, an ecologically significant ant-plant interaction with worldwide distribution. Myrmecochorous plants produce seeds with elaiosomes, a term encompassing various external appendages or "food bodies" rich in lipids, amino acid, or other nutrients that are...
(the distribution of seeds by ants). Perhaps the continual renewal of the foliage by fire and myrmecochory has generated the explosion of plant speciation in the Cape.
Ecoregions
The fynbos area has been divided into two very similar ecoregionEcoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
s, the lowland fynbos (below 300m) on the sandy soil of the west coast and the montane fynbos of the Cape Fold Belt
Cape Fold Belt
The Cape Fold Belt is the folded sedimentary sequence of rocks in the southwestern corner of South Africa. It is related to the Ventana Mountains near Bahía Blanca in Argentina...
.
The Lowland Fynbos and Renosterveld experiences regular winter rainfall, especially to the west of Cape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas is a rocky headland in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is the geographic southern tip of Africa and the official dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The ecoregion has been subdivided into nine areas: the West Coast Forelands from the Cape Flats to the Olifants River (Western Cape); the Warm Bokkeveld basin around the town of Ceres
Ceres, Western Cape
Ceres is a town with 46,251 inhabitants in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is the administrative centre and largest town of the Witzenberg Local Municipality. Ceres serves as a regional centre for the surrounding towns of Wolseley, Tulbagh, Op-die-Berg and Prince Alfred Hamlet...
; the Elgin Valley around the town of Elgin
Elgin, Western Cape
Elgin, situated in the Overberg region of South Africa, is an apple-growing area near Grabouw and is about 70 km southeast of Cape Town. A group of apple farms called Glen Elgin - owned by the Molteno family - gave the place its name...
; the sandy Agulhas Plain on the coast; the Breede River valley around the town of Worcester
Worcester, Western Cape
Worcester is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is located 120 km north-east of Cape Town on the N1 highway north to Johannesburg....
; the South Coast Forelands from Caledon
Caledon, Western Cape
Caledon is a town in the Overberg region in the Western Cape province of South Africa, located about east of Cape Town. it had a population of 10,650. It is located in, and the seat of, the Theewaterskloof Local Municipality....
west to Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay is a harbour town of about 130,000 people on the Southern Cape of South Africa. It is an important tourism and farming region of the Western Cape Province...
; the south-eastern end of the Little Karoo; Langkloof
Langkloof
Langkloof is a 160 km long valley in South Africa, lying between Herold, a small village north of George, and Humansdorp. The kloof was given its name by Isaq Schrijver in 1689, and more thoroughly explored by a later expedition under ensign August Frederik Beutler in 1752.The valley has been...
valley; and the Southeastern Coast Forelands west from Tsitsikamma to Port Elizabeth.
The flora of the lowlands contains a high number of endemic species and tends to consist of larger plants than that of the hillier areas, including restios and proteas such as King Protea (Protea cynaroides) and blushing bride (Serruria florida
Serruria florida
Serruria florida is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae, endemic to South Africa. It is known by the common names of blushing bride or pride of Franschhoek....
). Particular types of lowland fynbos include: the shrubs and herbs of the coastal sand dunes; the mixture of ericoids and restoids with thickets of shrubs such as Maytenus
Maytenus
Maytenus is a genus of flowering plants in the staff vine family, Celastraceae. Members of the genus are distributed throughout Central and South America, Southeast Asia, Micronesia and Australasia, the Indian Ocean and Africa...
and other Celastraceae
Celastraceae
The Celastraceae , is a family of about 90-100 genera and 1,300 species of vines, shrubs and small trees, belonging to the order Celastrales...
, sideroxylon
Sideroxylon
Sideroxylon is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sapotaceae. There are about 70 species, collectively known as bully trees. The generic name is derived from the Greek words σιδηρος , meaning "iron", and ξύλον , meaning "wood."-Distribution:The genus is distributed mainly in the neotropics,...
s and other Sapotaceae
Sapotaceae
Sapotaceae is a family of flowering plants, belonging to order Ericales. The family includes approximately 800 species of evergreen trees and shrubs in approximately 65 genera . Distribution is pantropical....
, and Rhus and other Anacardiaceae
Anacardiaceae
Anacardiaceae are a family of flowering plants bearing fruits that are drupes and in some cases producing urushiol, an irritant. Anacardiaceae include numerous genera with several of economic importance. Notable plants in this family include cashew , mango, poison ivy, sumac, smoke tree, and marula...
on the coastal sands; the classic fynbos of the sandplains of the West Coast Forelands, and the Agulhas Plain; the grassy fynbos of the hillier and wetter areas of the South and South-Eastern Coast Forelands; areas where fynbos and renosterveld are mixed; coastal renosterveld on the West and South Coast Forelands; and the inland renosterveld of the drier inland Little Karoo and Warm Bokkeveld.
The area is also home to a large number of endemic animals that have adapted to life in this area include the monkey beetle
Monkey beetle
Monkey beetles are a group of scarab beetles, comprising the subfamily Rutelinae, and are placed within the tribe Hopliini. Many species visit flowers for pollen and nectar, or browse on the petals.-Overview:...
s which pollinate Ixia viridiflora
Ixia viridiflora
Ixia viridiflora, also known as Turquoise Ixia, is a tall member of the genus Ixia. It comes from around the Tulbagh in South Africa, Cape Province. It has small corms under the ground.This corn lily is a very rare plant...
. There are endemic species of fish in the five river systems in the area. Endemic reptiles include a number of tortoise
Tortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
s and the chameleon-like Arum frog (Hyperolius horstockii
Hyperolius horstockii
Hyperolius horstockii, known as the Arum Frog, is a species of frog in the Hyperoliidae family.It is endemic to South Africa.-Identification:...
).
The same level of floral variety including all three characteristic fynbos families is found in the Montane Fynbos and Renosterveld, the areas above 300 m a total of 45,000 km2 of the Cape Fold Mountains, but ericas predominate. Original flora is more intact in these higher and wetter areas, which contain more protected areas and important water sources, than in the lowlands but agriculture and global warming are stll threats. The region includes: in the west the mountains from the Cape Peninsula
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope...
to the Kouebokkeveld Mountains
Kouebokkeveld Mountains
The Koue Bokkeveld Mountains is a mountain range in South Africa lying south and east of Citrusdal in the Western Cape Province. The range runs north-south, falls within the catchment area of the Olifants River and contributes substantially to its flow. Elevations of the range are an average of...
; the south coast hinterland from Elgin to Port Elizabeth; the mountains north of the Little Karoo from Laingsburg
Laingsburg, Western Cape
- History :Laingsburg was first established in the 1870s by Stephanus Greeff. He bought the farm Vischkuil-aan-de-Buffelsrivier . The town only started developing when the railway line to it was completed...
to Willowmore; and the inselberg hills within the Little Karoo. About half of these areas are originally fynbos and about half renosterveld.
Many different microclimates occur so the flora changes from west to east and varies with altitude up the hillsides away from the coast and according to compass direction. Lower elevations are covered with protea fynbos with ericas taking over further up. Plant species include pincushions (Leucospermum
Leucospermum
Leucospermum is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, native to Zimbabwe and South Africa, where they occupy a variety of habitats, including scrub, forest, and mountain slopes.They are evergreen shrubs growing to 0.5-5 m tall...
). The wildlife includes a number of endemic bees, beetles, horseflies and ants, and birds such as Cape Sugarbird
Cape Sugarbird
The Cape Sugarbird, Promerops cafer, is one of the six bird species endemic to the Fynbos biome of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa.-Description:...
s and the Orange-breasted Sunbird
Orange-breasted Sunbird
The Orange-breasted Sunbird, Anthobaphes violacea, is the only member of the bird genus Anthobaphes although it is sometimes placed in the genus Nectarinia...
. Many of these birds and insects are important and specific pollinators for the fynbos, such as the Mountain Pride butterfly (Aeropetes tulbaghia) which only visits red flowers such as Disa uniflora
Disa uniflora
Disa uniflora is a species of orchid from the Orchidoideae subfamily. It is the type species of the genus Disa, and one of the best-known species of this genus. It is native to South Africa, Cape Province. The Orchid grows near waterfalls, streamlets - Actually around moist places. It blooms during...
and pollinates 15 different species. Larger animals include the antelopes Cape Grysbok (Raphicerus melanotis), Common Duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), and Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus).
Economic uses
RooibosRooibos
Rooibos is a broom-like member of the legume family of plants growing in South Africa's fynbos.The generic name comes from the plant Calicotome villosa, aspalathos in Greek. This plant has very similar growth and flowers to the redbush...
(Aspalathus linearis) and Honeybush
Honeybush
Honeybush , or 'Heuningbos' in Afrikaans, is commonly used to make an infusion in the same manner as tea. It grows only in small areas in the southwest and southeast of South Africa and has many similarities with rooibos.Honeybush is so named because the flowers smell of honey...
(Cyclopia intermedia) are of economic importance, grown and harvested in large quantities in the Cederberg
Cederberg
The Cederberg mountains and nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar , which is a tree endemic to the area. The mountains are noted for dramatic rock...
area, and providing important exports. Proteas and other floral species are grown in many areas and their flowers harvested for export. Restios continue to be used for thatching as they have for hundreds or even thousands of years.
In many areas with Mediterranean climates, fynbos species have become popular garden plants, in particular aloe
Aloe
Aloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....
s and geraniums
Pelargonium
Pelargonium is a genus of flowering plants which includes about 200 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs, commonly known as scented geraniums or storksbills. Confusingly, Geranium is the correct botanical name of a separate genus of related plants often called Cranesbills. Both Geranium...
, and in cooler regions are used as window plants.
Threats and conservation
Large parts of the fynbos region have been inhabited for centuries. The lowland areas are prone to be developed for agriculture and viticulture or through the urban expansion along the coast especially around Cape TownCape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
and Port Elizabeth, and only a small portion is protected. Fynbos areas are also threatened by the spread of alien species, in particular wattle and acacia species from Australia, as well as pine plantations in the Cape Fold hills. Many species have gone extinct, and more than 1000 are endangered. Their conservation is a priority, and reserves have been established in many areas. Fynbos areas are a popular attraction for tourists, especially in the vicinity of Cape Town, and are also important recreational areas for locals. The Western Cape coast is travelled by the Garden Route
Garden Route
The Garden Route is a popular stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa. It stretches from Heidelberg in the Western Cape to the Storms River which is crossed along the N2 coastal highway over the Paul Sauer Bridge in the extreme western reach of the neighbouring Eastern Cape...
while large areas of natural fynbos can be seen in Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town and Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on May 29, 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation...
which covers most of the Cape Peninsula and in Tsitsikamma National Park to the east. There are a number of published hiking routes from Cape Town and other towns such as Elgin. The centre for visiting the Little Karoo is the town of Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world.
External links
- Images of Fynbos
- Western Cape School Network on fynbos
- "Protea Atlas Project" with excellent information and images.
- Fauna & Flora International's work on fynbos
- Fynbos Photography (organized taxonomically)
- Conservation and Land Restoration Project at TerraPi,SA
- Lowland fynbos and renosterveld (World Wildlife Fund)
- Montane fynbos and renosterveld (World Wildlife Fund)