Restios one of the major groups under fynbos, the restios are by and large indistinguishable from one another to all but an expert. A practical guide to the propagation and cultivation of plants from some of the major families of the cape floristic region of south africa n. The book covers everything you need to know about restios from where they grow, their ecology, biology, uses for people, conservation and how to grow restios for nurseryman and gardeners. Many books still refer to this plant as chondropetalum nudum. They are collected entirely from the wild, although in some areas in the albertinia district of the southern cape they are farmed by removing other fynbos from between the restios in order to favour their growth. The word fynbos is often confusingly said to mean fine bush in afrikaans, as bos means bush. Restios of the fynbos by dorrat haaksma, els penguin random. Whilst they may not appeal to me as much as say the protea family, they do hold an attraction of their own and are an unmistakable feature of the western cape landscape. It will also help to provide further information about biodiversity, plant ecology and conservation of our internationally renowned and imperilled.
Restios of the fynbos by els dorrathaaksma and h peter linderm, is a beautifully illustrated soft cover book with over 400 remarkable colour images for easy identification. According to the blog, notes from a cape town botanist and wikipedia, fynbos is known for its enormous diversity of species from several families. Hi there there arent many books with all the fynbos plants in them at 9 000 species that would be a big book but the classic one is john mannings field guide to fynbos published by struik and its isbn is 9781770072657. Fynbos has a low animal biomass, although species richness of birds, mammals, frogs, reptiles and insects is quite high, and most fynbos biome endemics occur in fynbos vegetation types. Restios of the fynbos is beautifully illustrated with over 400 3d scanned color images that reveal just how intricate and beautiful these plants are close up. Further reading this selection of books will help to further inform the reader about the material presented in this blog, as well as increasing knowledge and awareness about south africas flora. A fynbos year by fraser, michael and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The term, in its preafrikaans, dutch form, fynbosch, was recorded by noble as being in casual use in the late 19th century.
Your soil must drain well, so if you have particularly heavy or clay soil. It showcases 50 plants from the fynbos kingdom, focusing on how to use them in gardening, culinary, medicinal, healing and decorative ways. Although these animals play a major role in pollination and seed dispersal, they appear to play a minor part in influencing vegetation structure and composition. Typical fynbos foliage is ericoid rather than fine. A handson, practical book, it allocates a generous doublepage spread to most herbs. The cape floral kingdom contains 69 of the worlds 112 proteas, 526 of its 740 ericas and, among bubous plants, 96 of the worlds 160 gladiolus species. This field guide to the restionaceae, or cape reeds, commonly called restios, unpacks a unique family of fynbos plants found at the southern tip of south africa. He commented in his diary that the country is very desert. Aug 08, 2017 recording information from close observation and checking in books some people rote learn plant names but can seldom tell you why a plant belongs in a specific group. The restionaceae, also called restiads and restios, are a family of annual or perennial rushlike flowering plants native to the southern hemisphere.
One of the major groups under fynbos, the restios are by and large indistinguishable from one another to all but an expert. Watsonia tabularis characteristic fynbos plants are proteas, ericas heathers and restios reeds. Fynbos fairies by antjie krog, fiona moodie illustrator. Nov 05, 2012 restios of the fynbos is beautifully illustrated with over 400 3d scanned color images that reveal just how intricate and beautiful these plants are close up. Antjie krog and fiona moodie pay homage to one of the natural. Why not come and peruse our comprehensive range of natural history titles at our well stocked bookshop, where you can also receive our expert advice. Mulching like most other fynbos plants, restios will benefit from a mulch of milled pine bark or rough compost.
The reserve is essentially a floral reserve, a treasurehouse of over a thousand different species of fynbos afrikaans for fine bush vegetation of the cape floral kingdom. It is found growing on lowlying coastal flats or at the base of valleys at an altitude of between 10 and 200 m. Beautifully illustrated with photographs and over 400 colour images scanned from living plants, this new edition of els dorrathaaksmas respected guide has now been revised, updated. Restio culm felling is a consequence of predispersal seed.
It also provides useful information to support sustainable harvesting in particular and fynbos conservation in general. Capetourism fynbos delicate bush is a unique plant kingdom relative to the vegetation of the rest of africa and the world. Restios of the fynbos by els dorrathaaksma and h peter linderm, is a beautifully illustrated soft cover book with over 400 remarkable colour images. As a guide it is perfectly detailed, crisply written and innovatively illustrated the species are faithfully depicted as threedimensional scans of actual plants, a novel and appropriate approach for a plant group with such exquisite intricacy of form and function. So it is with unreserved enthusiasm that i acclaim the reissue of restios of the fynbos. They are collected entirely from the wild, although in some areas in the albertinia district of the southern cape they are farmed by. Restios of the fynbos by hans peter linder, els dorrat. Familiarising the features of fynbos families by drawing, dissecting and recording is a good way to train yourself. Protea shrubs, heathlike ericas, reedlike restios and different bubous plants. In some respects it is not dissimilar to a heather moor with gorse.
Systematics and evolution is a selection of the very best papers from the proceedings of the third international symposium on grass systematics and evolution held in sydney, australia in 1998. Proteas are the most famous plants in fynbos but its the restios the cape reeds that define its presence. Restios, in particular thamnochortus insignis, and to a lesser extent t. Other familiar names found in fynbos are heathers, irises, daisies and orchids as well as members of the citrus, pea and carrot families. Fynbos feniks apartment, stellenbosch, south africa. Together with the restios, heaths and proteas, there is a huge wealth of annuals, herbs and shrubs from many other families like the daisy, mesemb and pea families, as well as an unusually rich assortment of bulbs. Restios of the fynbos by dorrat haaksma, els penguin. Some 8550 individual plant species are found in an area of the western cape of sa, that represents only 0. Charles darwin described it as heath on his way by pony cart from simons. Fynbos is normally without trees but may include other plant families such as asteraceae daisies, as well as bulb, rhizome and corm plants. Whilst they may not appeal to me as much as say the protea family, they do hold an attraction of their own. A full colour paperback practical guide to the cultivation and propagation of most of the fynbos plants in south africa. Botanical society of south africa, 2000 ocolc700785149.
The book covers everything you need to know about restios from. Restios of the fynbos penguin random house south africa. A handson, practical book, it allocates a generous doublepage spread to most. Fynbos is always characterised by an ericoid element, i.
Beautifully illustrated with photographs and over 400 colour images scanned from living plants, this new edition of els dorrathaaksmas respected guide has now been revised, updated and freshly designed for greater ease of use. In celebration of fynbos is a treasure trove of practicalinformation and exquisite photography. Elegia nuda occurs in fynbos vegetation from darling on the west coast to albertinia in the southern cape. This book is a field guide for the restionaceae or cape reeds, commonly called restios, a unique family of fynbos plants found in the southern tip of south africa. Fynbos feniks is in close proximity to most of these wine farms. Table mountain alone boasts almost 1 500 fynbos species. Plant reproductive fitness is largely determined by the successful production, dispersal and germination of seeds. This field guide for wild flower harvesting describes 41 of the most popular types of fynbos plants that are picked from our region for the wild flower market. Restios respond well to regular watering by producing lush and robust growth.
Flower power a guide to fynbos flowers the fynbos guy. Most species will, however, tolerate periods of drought, as they are adapted to a long dry season. Fynbos is mainly found in coastal regions, which are characterised by deep, sandy soils with a higher ph acidic soil. This book was written by experts in this field and has beautiful color photographs from the kirstenbosch collection. Fynbos is always characterised by a proteoid element, i. Restionaceae restiads and restios, proteaceae protea, banksia, grevillea, and a few others, ericaceae heaths and heathers, rutaceae rue or citrus and iridaceae freesias, gladioli and. The cape floral kingdom contains 69 of the worlds 112 proteas, 526 of its 740 ericas and, among bulbous plants, 96 of the worlds 160 gladiolus species. Jun 27, 2018 several outstanding monographs focused on particular groups of plants, such as m b bayers the new haworthia handbook, j e burrows southern african ferns and fern allies, g d duncans the lachenalia handbook, restios of the fynbos by haaksma et al, anita fabians succulents of the transvaal, tony rebelos a field guide to the proteas. The fynbos biome supports one of the richest and most varied types of plant cover in the world. A recent dna investigation has revealed that chondropetalum belongs within the elegia genus, hence the name change to elegia nuda the genus name elegia comes from the. Seed production represents a substantial cost for a plant yet plants are forced to produce large quantities of seed to secure a relatively small number of successfully germinated seedlings, primarily due to extensive seed mortality crawley, 2000. It is a heath landscape and is largely devoid of trees. Beautifully illustrated with photographs and over 400 colour images scanned from living plants, this new edition of els dorrathaaksmas respected. Charles darwin described it as heath on his way by pony cart from simons town to cape town at the end of may 1836.