Erica

This plant is hard to miss as it flowers all year. This Erica is unique in that it has knobby protuberances on the stems below the flowers. It is not a fungus but the seed capsules that remain on the plant for many years. When flowering is over the sepals remain, growing larger and become hard and fleshy, protecting the ovaries with their developing seeds inside. The fruiting heads are yellowish green.

The sessiliflora can retain its seeds for up to seven years and propagates after a veld fire. Many fynbos store their seeds on the bush for many years but this is the only Erica to do so.

This plants habitat is on mountain slopes in damp, moist places. It likes seepage areas and can be seen growing near streams, or where there is a lot of water run off.

The key pollinators of this flower are birds, insects and wind. Erica sessiliflora is especially liked by sunbirds. The sunbird inserts its long curved beak into the long tubular flower stalks and extracts the nectar at the base. In doing so the beak comes into contact with the pollen on the anthers, positioned in the mouth of the flower. This pollen is then transferred to the stigma of another flower.

The genus Erica comprises of 860 species of which 770 are native to the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa.

We saw a lot of these Erica on our hike https://samscapesphotography.co.za/fernkloof-nature-reserve-hike-with-paula/