Plants of Rooiels
Rooiels is nestled in the heart of the Cape Floristic Region, home to the unique fynbos biome. This extraordinary vegetation type is made up of a dazzling variety of proteas, ericas, restios and bulbs, many of which grow only here. In fact, some of the species you’ll find on the hillsides, dunes and riverbanks around the village occur nowhere else on the planet. Walking through Rooiels, you’ll notice how the natural plant life changes subtly with the terrain – a reflection of the village’s varied soils and microclimates.
Because of this exceptional diversity, the Cape Floristic Region has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, recognised for outstanding examples of ongoing ecological and evolutionary processes.
Fynbos thrives on low-nutrient soils and is perfectly adapted to our windy, fire-prone environment. The proteas and pincushions that light up our hillsides in spring, the delicate ericas hiding among the grasses, and the tough reeds of the estuary and river all play vital roles in our ecosystem, providing food, shelter, and stabilising the soil. These plants are fire-adapted, but also fragile and slow-growing, and they need space and protection to flourish.
The plants of Rooiels and the wider Cape Floristic Region are not just beautiful. They play vital ecological roles:
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They provide habitat and food sources for a variety of wildlife, from insects to birds.
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Fynbos vegetation helps regulate water supply to the region’s rivers and groundwater systems.
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The extraordinary plant diversity is a living laboratory of evolution, adaptation, and specialisation.
Because of this richness and fragility, conserving fynbos and the species it supports is critical.
🙋 How you can help
- Remove invasive alien plants from your garden.
- Leave as much of your plot undisturbed as you possibly can.
- Don’t pick flowers or remove plants from the wild.
- Plant local indigenous species in your garden.
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Don’t use herbicides or pesticides. Fynbos needs pollinators and uncontaminated soil.
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Did You Know?
◻️ The name Rooiels means “red alder” in Afrikaans, and refers to the indigenous trees (Cunonia capensis) that used to grow along the river.
◻️ The Cape Floristic Region has more plant species per square metre than the Amazon rainforest.
◻️ The protea family has evolutionary roots dating back tens of millions of years, making it one of the oldest plant lineages in the region.
About Fynbos in Rooiels
Rooiels has three distinct floral zones: Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos, Overberg Dune Strandveld and estuarine vegetation. Fynbos species are adapted to each of these – sandstone fynbos will not thrive in dune strandveld soil and vice versa. Species adapted to wetter estuarine substrate will not survive in more arid soils. This is why it’s so important to not mix soil types together or to transplant fynbos without understanding its soil preferences.
Rooiels is home to a number of threatened species, including the Yellow Trailing Pincushion, the Satin Bush and the Kogelberg Silkypuff.
- Explore the plant and fungus species which have been observed in Rooiels on iNaturalist.
- Discover local species at Rooiels Fynbos – Flora and Fauna by Dine van Zyl and Graham McCleland.
- Read about sustainable practices in the garden.