Flora of The Western Cape

For someone who thoroughly enjoys the outdoors, I’m always amazed at my lack of knowledge regarding the flora adorning the trails. As if walking through a Monet, the flowers add all shades of colour and the hike would surely be bland without them, in a way they are the background that allows the mind to wonder.

After many years of constant hiking and taking photos of nearly everything, the bright idea of documenting the often overlooked plants finally dawned on me. By no means is this a thorough guide, but it is an attempt to turn the lens on the beautiful organism seldom appreciated and hidden quite literally under our feet.

Blue uintjie is a striking perennial with tri-petaled blooms in a vibrant shade, often resembling small irises
Xhosa Dream Herb or Silene undulata is a broadleaf semi-evergreen perennial with green foliage
Carpobrotus edulis is a creeping plant with succulent leaves in the genus Carpobrotus, native to South Africa. Its common names include hottentot-fig or sour fig
Zornia capensis or Caterpillar Bean
Othonna capensis a hardy, evergreen, fast-growing, drought-resistant, creeping groundcover
The plant is a member of the daisy family called Syncarpha vestita. It is one of the Everlasting Flowers or Sewejaartjies, and this species is also commonly known as Cape Snow.
The common name for Metalasia massonii is doll blombush
Watsonia borbonica is a tender to half-hardy herbaceous perennial that grows up to 2 m high