Lanaria lanata

Lanaria lanata, in Afrikaans called perdekapok (horse snow), is a rhizomatous, evergreen geophyte reaching heights around 80 cm when in flower.

How the plant acquired the common name of perdekapok is only simple to deduce as far as the snow part, suggested by the white woolly inflorescences is concerned. Maybe people from the horse world can shed light on the other part. English common names of kapok lily and Cape edelweiss exist.

The plant is the only one in both its genus and family, i.e. genus and family are both monotypic. The family, the Lanariaceae, was created to “house” the species botanically.

Do such genera and families display strong and broadly functional adaptation to survive with no speciation or extinction required, amid much evolutionary activity around them? Displaying a resolute sense of identity, fortitude or "strength of character" while vacillating neighbours hedge their survival bets as widely as possible? Is it weakness or strength? Or of no consequence?

The species distribution is along the south coast of the Western Cape from the Cape Peninsula and the western coastal part of the Eastern Cape as far as Makhanda (Grahamstown).

The habitat is fynbos slopes of the southerly mountain ranges in sandstone. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century.

The plant flowers profusely in summer after fires. The thick black rootstock ensures survival of the plant during fires. High incidence of these plants indicates too frequent burning of the veld (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).