Flora

Fynbos is characterised by four growth forms : tall shrubs with large leaves (proteoids); heath-like shrubs (ericoids) with needle like foliage; wiry reed-like plants (restioids); and bulbous herbs (geophytes).
All of these growth forms are present at Mattaponi.

Proteoids
The proteoids are the tallest shrubs in fynbos. They reach 1 to 3 metres in height and have large, leathery leaves and prominent flowers. They include the Aulas, Leucadendron, Leucospermum, Mimetes, Orothamnus, Paranomus, Protea and Vexatorella species.

Ericoides
The heath-like ericoid growth form comprises about 3 000 species, including the family Ericaceae and many of the largest fynbos genera such as Aspalathus, Agathosma, Cliffortia, Muraltia and Phylica.

Restioides
The restoids -- known as restios -- comprise all 310 species in the Restionaceae, a family closely related to the grasses. Large genera in the Restionaceae include Elegia, Ischyrolepis, Restio and Thamnochortus. Restoids comprise the growth form, which uniquely characterises fynbos. All members of the restoids have separate male and female plants. The seeds of many of the plants are dispersed by ants.

Geophytes
The bulbous geophytes include some 1 400 species. Fynbos has some of the richest geophyte flora in the world. Among the larger genera are the Gladiolus, the Lachenalia and the Disa. The geophytes appear only in the wetter months – they are less visible in the dry summer months when the leaves die back.