5. Orchids and fire
Most Cape orchids remain dormant for long periods, and it
is only after their habitat is burnt, sometimes as occasionally as once
every 20 years, that they appear fleetingly in bloom. Many of these
fire-dependent species are therefore rarely seen, and their natural
history and distribution have remained poorly documented.
As with the legendary Phoenix rising from the ashes, the renewal of life after fire is quintessential to the ecology of the Cape Floristic Region—this recurring theme is integral throughout the work. While most people are dismayed and fearful of wild-fires, we tended to welcome the prospect of discovering long-unseen orchids after recent fires. Burns in late summer precipitated a process of planning of botanical excursions to charred plains and mountains far and wide in the forthcoming spring. This obsession with fire was instrumental in the discovery of many of the Cape’s most obscure orchid treasures . . .
As with the legendary Phoenix rising from the ashes, the renewal of life after fire is quintessential to the ecology of the Cape Floristic Region—this recurring theme is integral throughout the work. While most people are dismayed and fearful of wild-fires, we tended to welcome the prospect of discovering long-unseen orchids after recent fires. Burns in late summer precipitated a process of planning of botanical excursions to charred plains and mountains far and wide in the forthcoming spring. This obsession with fire was instrumental in the discovery of many of the Cape’s most obscure orchid treasures . . .
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| Fires are integral to the ecology of the Cape fynbos (A. Pauw). | Post-fire montane marsh near Kleinmond, western Cape Floristic Region (December 3, 1991). |
