Monday, January 10, 2011

Finding kukumakrankas

Just returned from a long weekend in the Cederberg mountains, three hours drive from Cape Town, where I was lucky enough to find a few of these interesting little flowers growing in the sandy veld near our cottage. They are kukumakrankas (Gethyllis verticillata) and their tiny, dainty flowers were out there in the baking midday sun with temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius! (They are about 10 cm high.)
I have heard about them, and have seen their curly leaves that come up in the winter long after the flowers have died, but have never ever seen them until now. Their sweetly scented fruits are highly prized for eating, for medicinal purposes, for infusing in alchohol and to scent linen.

2 comments:

  1. What a great find! I have never seen them before.

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  2. A new one for me also. Aren't they cute!

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