Berzelia albiflora storing seeds until the fire comes

Berzelia albiflora is distributed in fynbos from the Hottentots Holland Mountains to the Klein River Mountains near Hermanus in the southwestern Cape. It usually grows in damp spots where large stands of the plant may accumulate.

The plants crowded soft leaves at the stem tips, bare stems lower down and some hardship from growing in an unfortunate, drier spot than the species normally thrives in, are evident.

A series of old infructescences (inflorescences successfully turned into collections of fruits) can be observed here, persisting from several previous seasons and retaining their durable seeds. These banking facilities for species survival are spaced neatly from year to year up the stem on this plant that was photographed in the mountains above Botrivier (Bean and Johns, 2005; www.plantzafrica.com).