Fynbos and the Cape Floral Kingdom

More plant species occur on Table Mountain than in the whole of the United Kingdom. Photo courtesy Andrew Moir

Fynbos, meaning “fine bush”, is a unique and strikingly beautiful group of flora endemic to a small section of the Western Cape of South Africa.

There are only six floral kingdoms in the world, and fynbos not only constitutes one kingdom (the smallest) all on its own, but is the only one occurring entirely within one country.

Fynbos has more diversity of species than in a tropical rainforest. There are 9000 species of fynbos occurring in the Cape area; over 2000 species on Table Mountain alone – which is more plant species than occur in the whole United Kingdom.

Proteas, South Africa’s national flower, are part of the fynbos family, as is rooibos, a plant increasing in international popularity as a herbal tea.

In 2004 the Cape Floral Region, constituting of a number of protected areas covering more than 550 000 hectares, was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. 

You can see and walk in fynbos in many areas in and around Cape Town, including on the slopes and top of
Table Mountain, at Cape Point, in the Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden, and in the Silvermine Nature Reserve.