What does fynbos consist of

After rain, the scents are fresher and purer, with the expression of petrichor—an earthy smell produced after rain falls on dry soil—elevating aromatic complexity. The composite nature of the fynbos plants generally makes it difficult to isolate any one aroma. It is highly aromatic, resembling a peppery note often found in Syrah the peppery taste in Syrah comes from rotundone , a sesquiterpene. Thank You! We've received your email address, and soon you will start getting exclusive offers and news from Wine Enthusiast.

Richard Kershaw, MW, produces namesake wines that include Syrah grown in Elgin, a cool-climate region. Animals include small buck like Grysbok and Steenbok, the Bontebok, Leopard, Chacma Baboon, Porcupine, tortoises and nectar- and seed-eating birds.

Many people in this biome are employed to harvest Fynbos plants. These include wildflowers, buchu for medicine and flavouring, restios for thatching, and rooibos tea.

Most of the Renosterveld has been ploughed up to plant crops suited to a Mediterranean climate, e. To find out more about how the Fynbos Biome is being conserved, go to the website of the C.

Fynbos is an evergreen, hard-leaved mediterranean type shrubland that occurs on nutrient-poor soils derived from predominantly quartzitic sandstones and limestones. This vegetation type is distributed in an arc-shaped belt northwards from the Cape Peninsula as far as the Bokkeveld Plateau above Vanrhysdorp and eastwards to the city of Port Elizabeth.

Fynbos is also characterised by the presence of an enormous diversity of species from several key families: Restionaceae, Proteaceae, Ericaceae, Rutaceae and Iridaceae.

The species diversity of fynbos is one of the main things that makes it so special. Table Mountain alone has more species of plants than the whole of the British Isles. Two thirds of these species are endemic to the region, thus meaning that they occur nowhere else on earth. The vegetation of both the Fynbos Biome and the Cape Floristic Region comprise not only fynbos but several other vegetation types that deserve mention. There is also another type of Mediterranean-type shrubland known as renosterveld as well as areas of indigenous forest.

Both of these equally important although perhaps less well-known vegetation types will be introduced and profiled in future articles on this site.

Scientists have debated for decades about why the vegetation of the CFR is so biodiverse and have to date failed to come up with a definitive answer that is accepted by all. It is particularly extraordinary that such diverse flora and vegetation has evolved to occur on such nutrient-poor soils.

The majority of fynbos soils are derived from quartzitic sandstones and are consequently not dissimilar to glass in their composition. Various theories have been put forward to try and solve this mystery. One is that slightly differing ratios in soil nutrients have created the presence of numerous different microhabitats to be occupied by a greater diversity of different species. Secondly, there is the possibility that the diversity of microhabitats brought about by variations in topography and microclimate within the CFR are also contributory factors to the evolution of the Cape flora.

Pollination biologists have also suggested that the diversity of plants is a result of evolution through a diversity of different pollinators, from insects to mice.

The debate continues to this day. In common with vegetation from several other Mediterranean type ecosystems, Fynbos is both fire-prone and fire-adapted. The vegetation needs regular fire at an interval of between years in order to remain in optimum condition. Fire is a critical part of nutrient cycling in fynbos, it prevents the excessive build-up of pathogens and rejuvenates old and senescent vegetation.