Greater mountain carnation  (Lachnaea grandiflora)

Classified as Least Concern on the Interim Red Data List of South African Plant Taxa (3).

The greater mountain carnation is a rounded shrub that grows to between 20 and 60 centimetres tall (4). The small, green leaves are narrowly oblong to lance-shaped, and grow pressed close to the stem. During a few months each year, the branch tips of the greater mountain carnation bear flowers. Measuring around 12 millimetres across, the flowers may be pink or white, and the outside is silky to the touch (2) (4).

Endemic to Cape Floristic Region, a ‘hot-spot’ of plant diversity in south-western South Africa. This species is distributed from Cedarberg to Agulhas (4).

The greater mountain carnation grows on sandy flats and lower slopes, at elevations of 15 to 1,000 metres (4).

This South African shrub flowers from August until June (4). All species belonging to the Thymelaeaceae family have hermaphroditic flowers, meaning that each flower contains both male and female sexual organs; the stamen and pistil respectively (5).

The greater mountain carnation is threatened by the encroachment of urban development and alien plant infestation (6). Urban development currently covers 1.6 percent of the Cape Floristic Region (7), and with the vast city of Cape Town lying almost at the centre of the greater mountain carnation’s range, any expansion could have a significant impact on this species. Worryingly, Cape Town’s population is expected to double by the year 2025 (8). Alien trees and shrubs, (introduced to supplement the few tree species that occur within the Cape), have spread and invaded vast areas of the region. These alien species alter the delicate balance of the natural habitat, to the detriment of many native plant species (8).

There are no specific conservation measures known to be in place for the greater mountain carnation; however, within the Cape Floristic Region, there are a number of protected areas (9), and a number of conservation organisations are working to conserve this botanically rich habitat. Conservation actions include purchasing land to protect it from the threats of encroaching agriculture and urban development (10), the removal of alien plants, and the establishment of new protected areas (8); measures that should benefit this vulnerable shrub.

For further information on the Cape Floristic Region and its conservation see:

• Conservation International: Biodiversity Hotspots:
  www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/cape_floristic