overberg
south africa
nature retreat & fynbos reserve
The Cape Floral Kingdom is one of the earth's six plant kingdoms. Though the Cape Floral Kingdom is the smallest of them all (more or less the size of Portugal compared to the Boreal Plant Kingdom that occupies more than 40% of the world's land surface) , it has the richest variety of species of all Kingdoms.
To illustrate the enormous biodiversity of the Cape Flora, we cannot get around using some numbers. The Cape Floral Kingdom contains close to 9000 plant species of which 5800 are endemic (i.e. they occur nowhere else in the world). The British Isles (almost four times as big) in comparison, host 1500 plant species of which only 20 are endemic.
The fact that 71% of the 740 Erica species in the world, 60% of the world population of 160 gladiolus species as well as 60% of the 112 Proteas in the world occur in the Cape Floral Kingdom pictures the exceptional biodiversity of the Cape Flora that even outranks that of the richest parts in the Amazon.
Fynbos, the major biome of the Cape Flora is a shrub land largely made out of tall, large-leaved Proteas, (proteoids), heaths (ericas / ericoids), reeds (restioids) and bulbous plants (geophytes). The fynbos biome is adapted to the specific situation of the Western Cape: hot and dry summers, a lot of wind and sandy (even acid sands in the case of farm 215) soils of low fertility. Fynbos is furthermore a fire biotope. It depends on fire at intervals of 15-20 years for its rejuvenation. Without fire, fynbos will perish. The fynbos biome is threatened by urban and agricultural expansion, by too frequent fires (the slowest growing shrubs are not able to produce sufficient quantities of seed) and alien vegetation. As a result, over a 1000 species in the fynbos biome are listed in the Red Data Book (rare and/or threatened). Of these so-called red data species, several occur in the fynbos reserve of farm 215.
The Southern Overberg, home of farm 215, has a flora of an estimated number of 2500 species, of which 300 are endemic. As a result of local circumstances (different soil types, wetlands, scree-covered slopes, flats etc) allowing for a high degree of biodiversity, the fynbos characteristics in the reserve are extremely varied. Over 700 species are represented on farm 215, including 33 species of the protea family, 22 ericas, over 20 orchid species, 15 species of moraea, 11 species of gladiolus, 9 species of watsonia, over 30 so called "red-data species" (vulnerable or endangered).
The multitude, variety and beauty of all these fynbos species, combined with the enormous sense of tranquillity and space, the splendid views that can be enjoyed from the slopes and the abundance of water, make a stay in farm 215 a special experience for botanically interested persons.
A detailed map of the reserve is available if you want to go on a walk on your own, but an experienced botanical guide can be arranged as well.
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