Mimetes cucullatus

Mimetes cucullatus, the red pagoda, cowl pagoda or rooistompie (little red stump) in Afrikaans, is a strong growing shrub with erect branches and dense, oblong leaves. It may reach 2 m in height and flowers all year round.

The plant used to be known scientifically as M. lyrigera. The Latin word, lyrigera, mean lyre-like, referring to the leaf-shape. The glabrous (hairless) leaves have a few small, red teeth at their tips.

This is the only member of the Mimetes genus that resprouts after fire. The large underground rootstock of the mature specimen makes this possible. The other species in the genus have to start growing from scratch after fire, i.e. from seed.

The species distribution is in the Western Cape, from the Koue Bokkeveld to the Cape Peninsula and eastwards to the Outeniqua Mountains, slightly into the Eastern Cape in the Kouga Mountains.

The habitat is sandstone slopes in fynbos. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

Fleshy protuberances called elaiosomes, rich in protein and oils, grow naturally as attachments to Mimetes fruit. These elaiosomes represent "plant money" in the same way that nectar does, attracting ants to feed on them.

When the ants carry the seeds off like supermarket purchases, their action serves as seed dispersal, a vital plant need. Eating the elaiosome, the plants incentive for inducing this ant behaviour, does no harm to the seed. Germination on a fertile refuse dump close to the nest or still inside it, happens when conditions become favourable.

A mutually beneficial transaction of this nature has a good chance of being a sustainable arrangement in nature. It takes a long time and many unsuccessful incidents of developmental sacrifice for such practice to become an effective lifestyle involving different species.

The wonder of nature does not only reside in the remarkable species that exist, although all living things are remarkable, each in its own way. The relationships among species, their mutually beneficial "business" relationships are equally remarkable (Manning, 2007; Matthews, 1993; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).