Berzelia albiflora with soft green leaves

The leaves of Berzelia albiflora crowd near stem tips. They are without stalks, soft, needle-like, spreading and ascending; about 1,2 cm in length. Lower parts of stems are usually bare, fawn coloured when young, pale grey when older.

This plant does not resprout after fire, but is well adapted to life in fynbos veld prone to fire. The seed-heads accumulate on the plant for several years, never to be released until theres a fire. This causes a glut of seeds to be dispersed in one fell swoop, providing food for several species among the surviving local populations that face the destroyed habitat; now severely deprived of the bare necessities and desperate for food.

As the social service feeding scheme closes when new growth starts, some seeds will have been missed, still remaining for new plants to grow from the nutrient rich ashes. All because of long preparation and systematic over-catering!

Since this plant usually grows in damp places, nature will do the rest. New plants of B. albiflora, a reseeder, will only flower some seasons after the resprouter species of the area have recovered, but since their genes make B. albiflora plants tall, they’ll see the sun.

Plant species that follow this binge propagation style with the help of fires are called serotinous. If their inflorescences are picked too enthusiastically for the cut flower market, survival of such species may become threatened (Bean and Johns, 2005; www.plantzafrica.com).