Fynbos: the native vegetation in the Cape winelands 

A series of pictures of fynbos, the native vegetation in the winelands of South Africa, taken in October 2010 in late spring. The Cape floral kingdom is among the most diverse of the six floral kingdoms, even though it is the smallest (it has 9000 species of plant, of which 6200 are unique to the region).

From a distance fynbos doesn't look terribly special. It looks a bit ragged, but it's only when you take a closer look that you suddenly get an idea of its diversity, especially when some the plants are in flower.

The South African wine industry has established a Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI), which aims at preserving this valuable habitat. So far, 127 000 hectares have been protected, which exceeds the area of vineyard in the country. Producers are asked to set aside areas of native vegetation on their farms, thus conserving them.   

All pictures are posted at low resolution; click on thumbnails for larger versions. All pictures are (c) Jamie Goode. Contact jamie@wineanorak.com to enquire about rates for use (high resolution versions of these pictures available)

See also:

Visiting South Africa's winelands (series)

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