Snow in The Cape in November!

Right now the Everlastings (Syncarpha vestita) are flowering in profusion in The Table Mountain National Park.

The name “everlasting” is derived from the fact that they produce dry flowers which retain their shape and colour for years and they are therefore popularly used in dry-flower arrangements. Their Afrikaans name “Sewejaartjie” (Seven Year Plant) refers to the intriguing feature that after germinating the plants persist for seven years before dying. The seeds produced during the lifespan of the parent plants, lie dormant in the soil awaiting the stimulus of a fire before germinating and starting the process again.

When they appear in profusion, as in the photo above, they give the appearance of a light shower of snow lying on the fynbos and they are therefore also sometimes referred to as “Cape Snow” (although the common name “Cape Snow Bush” is more commonly used to describe Eriocephalus africanus)