Fernkloof Nature Reserve

The sheets of tawny gold and brown which cover the mountainsides are called Cape reeds, restios or more commonly, biesies and dekriet. They are all members of the family Restionaceae, which form one of the most important components of the South African fynbos.

Of the 480 species globally, mainly in the southern hemisphere countries, 330 are found in the Cape Floral Kingdom. These comprise about nineteen genera, fifteen of which are found in the Fernkloof area.

The common names again speak for themselves. The elegias are called ‘Golden tops’, the staberohas ‘Brown bells’, the hypodiscus ‘Hedgehogs’ and chondropetalum ‘Sorghum seed’/

For identication of genera and species certain botanical rules should be followed:

Firstly, the stem is known as a culm. To establish the difference between grasses, sedges and restios, take note that inflorescences of grasses are at the top of the culm, while in sedges and restios they are not. Culms of grasses are hollow, while mostly solid in sedges and restios. Grasses and sedges sport both leaf blades and leaf sheaths, while restios have only sheaths, either persistent or ones that drop off.

Similarly, in the species and genera of the Restionaceae family, culms can be branched or unbranched, sheaths persistent or ‘drop-offs’. Inflorescences vary .

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RESTIONACEAE – FYNBOS FAMILY OF NOTE.