The Nieuwoudtville Wildflower Reserve is situated 3 km from town on the road to Calvinia. The Reserve was founded in 1974 for the express purpose of preserving the unique flora of the district.
The area encompasses 115 ha and consists of renosterveld and dolerite dyke. The flora is particularly rich with 306 species and 199 genera identified. Of the species 5.3% are endemic while the undoubted distinct feature is the unusually high proportion of bulbs (geophytes 39.8%), unparalleled anywhere in the world. It is also the site where the famous deep Orange Bulbinella latifolia var. doleritica can be seen. This plant is endemic to Nieuwoudtville.
Flowering in the reserve commences after the first rains in April/May. The first to flower are the Oxalis species. The incidence of flowering species, particularly bulbs, increases to peak in August and September. |
