Winter flowers on Meadowridge Common


Probably the Common's most important species, this rare and endangered member of the Protea family is the Flat's Silkypuff, Diastella proteoides.
It was once abundant on the Cape Flats, but most of its southern populations have been destroyed and small remnant populations remain - one on our Common! (Click here for the some history of its discovery.) The plant carries a status of 'Vulnerable' in the Red Data book and is likely to be upgraded to Endangered as its northern habitats (it occurs on sandy flats as far north as Mamre) are developed.
The Flats Silkypuff flowers erratically throughout the year, but mainly from July to February and our bush is starting to flower now. Find it near the storyboards on the Common.
The plants do not produce nectar - pollination is by beetles and flies that visit the flowers to feed on pollen. The round white seed is produced two months after flowering. Each flowerhead may produce a single seed, which is bigger than the entire flowerhead. These seeds are collected by ants, which bury them in their nests. Here they are safe from fire and rodents. Germination only occurs after fire. (Info from the Protea Atlas Webpage)


Tortoise Berry, Nylandtia spinosa, belongs to the milkwort family (Polygalaceae) and starts flowering in June. By the end of the month it will be covered in purple flowers. A good plant to grow in your sandy garden! It is named after Pierre Nylandt, a Seventeenth Century Dutch botanist. The species name is derived from the Latin, spinosa, meaning spiny.

Thank you




Thank you to everyone who supported the cake sale on Saturday to raise funds for the maintenance and on-going rehabilitation of Meadowridge Common.

Cake Sale for the Common

You will have received a broadsheet compiled by Fiona Watson, our Botanical Officer, on the Moraeas of Meadowridge Common. We hope that you will find it interesting and follow it up with a visit to the Common.
Moraea flaccida on Meadowridge Common. Photo: Fiona Watson.


Restoring the wetland on the Common
If you are not aware of the fact, there have been some initiatives on the Common recently. Firstly a berm has been created between the soccer field and the southern side of the Common. This has now been planted with sour fig on the Common side and buffalo grass on the field side. Unfortunately the grass has not taken too well, but the berm is an improvement on the heaps of rubble that lay there before. Secondly, the wetland area has been extended and more plants put down. This is the reason for this newsletter.
Have a heart. Bring a cake and support the Common on Saturday 20 June
We are having a cake sale on 20 June to raise money so that more can be planted on the Common, specifically in the degraded areas. A successful propagation programme at Kenilworth Racecourse has led to a great number of plants being both available and suitable for our Common. We need to purchase each at R2, which is a minimal amount but as we want to put down about 500 plants, it will cost us a considerable amount. For this reason – the cake sale.
We are appealing to you to support us. What we need most are cakes, jams and biscuits that we can sell. We need to fill two trestle tables with good things to eat and so we are relying on you to help us. If you know of anyone who would be sympathetic to your cause, perhaps you could ask them to bake or make.
If you can assist, please would you either bring the cakes to 5 Faraday Way, Meadowridge on the evening of Friday 19 June, or to the Meadowridge Park ’n Shop before 08h30 on the morning of the 20th.
Roger Graham, Chairman of the Friends of Meadowridge Common