Fynbos - It is illegal to pick any indigenous plantlife, whether these grow along the cliff paths or up in the mountain reserves. It is also illegal to pick arum lilies and other flowers within 50 meters of any road.
South Africa - luxury property and real estate for sale - Hermanus.
Estate agency for property development dealing with executive homes and security estates in prestige areas of Hermanus.
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Accommodation Misty Beach Château Boutique Hotel....
Things to do Wine tasting....
The cool sea breezes off Walker Bay and ideal soil in the Hemel en Aarde Valley combine to produce some of the top wines in the country.The cellars are all open for tastings and sales and make for an ideal afternoon or morning's excursion. More......
Webhosting....
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Day trips from Hermanus Styruisbaai....
Coastal resort with a 14 km stretch of white sand coastline, the longest in the southern hemisphere. According to legend, named after the "Vogelstruise" (ostriches) which were abundant in the area. More......
Hermanus- Fynbos
Fynbos (fine bushes, pronounced "fain-bos") is the popular name for the shrublands of the winter rainfall area of the Western Cape. This hardy vegetation has adapted to the dry summer season and strong coastal winds in special ways: by producing large, hard, leathery leaves (as in the protea family); or fine, tiny leaves, often with rolled edges (the erica family); by having long stems with no leaves (the reed family); or by means of undergroumd storage organs (lilies and orchids). Fynbos is the characteristic vegetation of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest of the six floristic kingdoms of the world - with an astounding total of 8 600 species. Of these, 5800 are endemic, occuring in a restricted area and nowhere else in the world.
The fynbos experiences a mediterranean type climate, with cool wet winters and hot dry summers. The summer droughts, together with the extremely poor soils that occur in most areas, and the intense fires that occur at intervals of between four and twenty years, have been the major driving forces in the evolution of the extraordinary assemblage of plants that comprise fynbos communities.
The importance of fire in fynbos is frequently overlooked or misunderstood. Many people think of fire only as a killer of plants and animals, but it also creates space and increases the availability of nutrients, light and water that otherwise limit regeneration in mature fynbos. Fire is a natural part of fynbos and without it there would be no fynbos. It acts as the major mineralizing agent, returning elements held in living plants and litter to the soil. The flush of nutrients released after fire increases the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus and other essential elements, enabling plants to re-establish in the nutrient-poor soils. Recurring fires over millions of years have led to the evolution of many life-history features in fynbos plants. These include the stimulation by fire of seed released from cones held on the plant, seed germination and even flowering. Recent research has shown that the dormant seeds of many fynbos species are stimulated to germinate by the chemical substances found in smoke. Substances leached from healed or charred wood can also stimulate germination. Many fynbos plants are killed by fire, and rely entirely on seeds for reproduction. Others survive fires and re-sprout from beneath fire resistant bark or from below ground. A major reason for the bewildering diversity of plant species in fynbos is to be found by exploring the many routes that different plant groups have followed in evolving adaptations to deal with fire.
 "Mountain fire")
 "protea")
 "erica")
 "reed")
 "lily family")
