Retzia capensis

The heuningblom (honey flower), as Retzia capensis is known in Afrikaans, is a stiffly erect, branched shrublet of mountain fynbos slopes near the coast from the Kogelberg to Bredasdorp. This plant was seen in December at Fernkloof.

It resprouts after fire from the subterranean, woody rootstock, sometimes a hefty stump. Several erect stems grow from it, occasionally as tall as 2 m. Flowering starts in spring and may continue to early autumn.

R. capensis is the only member of its (monotypic) genus. The genus forms part of the Stilbaceae family, although some older sources place this plant in a separate family, called Retziaceae (Manning, 2007; Burman and Bean, 1985).