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The Darling Wildflower Society has held a show virtually every year since that first show in 1917. The ideals expressed by the founders still hold true today. They wanted to display Darling's God-given wealth for the world to see. At the same time they promoted the conservation of flowers amongst the farmers of the district, who have since maintained the botanical diversity of the region over several generations.
The West Coast flower region, an integral part of the Cape Fynbos Kingdom, boasts more than 1200 species of flowering plants. About 80 of these are endemic to the West Coast and known nowhere else. The rich flora of the West Coast occurs on mainly three different soil types, culminating in three distinctive vegetation types, namely, Strandveld, Renosterveld and Sandveld.
Darling lies within the Cape West Coast Biosphere reserve in the centre of the threatened lowland sandplain and renosterveld fynbos.
Darling's veld is unique in that it consists of an intermingling of various veld types. It is not unusual to find a single patch which can be classified as Sandveld, Strandveld, Renosterveld and Rietveld. This mix-up has led to the veld in Darling producing flowers, especially Geophytes (bulbous plants), which are spectacular in their diversity, size and colour. This situation is found nowhere else in the world. The Cape Floral Kingdom, with more than 12 000 species, is also the richest in species diversity. It is astounding that Darling contains more than 10% of the species count of the Cape Floral Kingdom in less than 1% of the area. If there was ever a "Golden Mile" of the plant kingdom anywhere in the world, it must surely exist in Darling. If there was ever a "Most Threatened" area in the world, likewise. Rapidly expanding development along the West Coast will swallow large tracts of the internationally unique flora.
The Darling Wildflower Show takes place annually over the third weekend in September at the Darling Club. Since the early shows, the wildflower show has grown from a hall with floral arrangements to include natural displays. which reflect the geographical diversity of the veld surrounding Darling. All flowers and plants on show grow wild in the Darling district and are picked under strict supervision of the Darling Wildflower Society. The displays include the botanical and common names of all flowers exhibited as well as interesting information on conservation. The detail can vary substantially, being that the Darling Flora is all about the extravagant diversity and fragrance. While the big picture displays such as the fields of daisies, are magnificent, it is the small detail that will fascinate, as will the wondrous scent of the veld.
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As there are too many plants on show to label each individually, an example of each plant is provided on the specimen tables. Here you can find the full name of each plant, and view related species. In addition, this year, there is a unique display of lichens compiled by the experienced and respected amateur botanist Dr. Pixie Littlewort.The show is designed around the different soil types found in the Darling district. The marked difference between the plantlife of the various soil types is due to the variations in humidity and in physical and chemical composition, although many plants happily grow in more than one habitat. Renosterveld is mostly found in the rich clay-soils of the Western and Eastern Cape, and is often confused with fynbos which grows in poorer soils. Most of the rain occurs between April and September (150 – 300mm). The show therefore represents a concentration of plants which flower in spring, although many of the plants also flower throughout the year. The Darling district represents a diverse flora of about 1200 species. Approximately 80 (6,5%) are endemic, whilst the rest also occur in other areas. One should keep in mind that during springtime there are a myriad of pollinators at work, such as wasps, flies, mice and sunbirds; the conservation of our local flora ensures healthy biodiversity of the whole area.
Renosterveld Renosterveld is primarily the flora of the Swartland. It is named after the key plant species renosterbos. Because the soil is very fertile, about 90% has been eradicated by agriculture. Fine- and granular-leaved shrubs like Eriocephalus, Elytropappus and Stoebe are typical. Geophytes like Geissorhiza, Babiana and Gladioli have some of the loveliest flowers of this region. Where water collects it causes marshy conditions and this is known locally as renosterveld "vlei". Here one typically finds Zantedescia aethiopica (arum), Drosera (sundew), Watsonia marginata (pink/mauve watsonia), Ornithogalum thyrsoides (chinkerinchee) and Onixotis stricta (rice flower).
Granite Hills Granite Hills can be regarded as another type of renosterveld, but is especially rich in succulents such as Aloe perfoliata (wreath aloe), Mesembryanthemaceae (vygies/mesembs) and Orbea variegata (carrion flower). Geophytes like Ixia monadelpha (mottled ixia), Gladiolus alatus (kalkoentjie/turkey),
Lachenalia aloides (rock violet) and Romulea eximia (Darling romulea) are some of the more spectacular bulbs flowering on these hills. Typical shrubs are Eriocephalus africanus (capoc bush) en Lobostemon fruticosus (pyjama bush).
Sandveld Sandveld consists of deep, sandy, and sometimes chalky soil. Restios like Wildenowia incurvata (sonqua reed), Chondropetalum tectorum (elephant reed) and Thamnochortus spicigerus (dune reed) are typical. This soil is relatively poor and there are few large shrubs, although smaller shrubs like Phylica stipularis (honde-gesiggie/doggy face), Staavia radiata (altyd/ever bush), Stoebe plumosa (snake bush) en Metalasia densa (blombos/flower bush) grow profusely. Typical spring flowering plants are ground-covers Asteraceae and Scrophulariaciae. The Sandveld also features marshy areas and here one finds plants that thrive near or in water, such as Lachenalia unicolor (purple violet), the edible waterplant Aponogeton distachyos (water urchin) and Gladiolus angustus (long pypie).
Strandveld Strandveld shows open shrubby plant growth and features few endemic or rare species. Woody plants like Chrysanthemoides monilifera (bietou), Olea capensis (iron wood), Euclea racemosa (candle bush), and Rhus glauca (taaiblaar/tough leaf) are typical. The relatively rich soil causes most plants to bear fleshy fruits and this attracts large numbers of birds.
In an effort to help put this glorious region more firmly on the map, we have pulled together as much information as we can, accrediting authors where necessary and providing links to websites or email addresses. If we have inadvertantly used your article or photograph without giving you full accreditation, we apologise and if you notify us we will rectify this immediately.
the darling wildflower show
Darling's veld is unique in that it consists of an intermingling of various veld types. It is not unusual to find a single patch which can be classified as Sandveld, Strandveld, Renosterveld and Rietveld. This mix-up has led to the veld in Darling producing flowers, especially Geophytes (bulbous plants), which are spectacular in their diversity, size and colour. This situation is found nowhere else in the world. The Cape Floral Kingdom, with more than 12 000 species, is also the richest in species diversity. It is astounding that Darling contains more than 10% of the species count of the Cape Floral Kingdom in less than 1% of the area. If there was ever a "Golden Mile" of the plant kingdom anywhere in the world, it must surely exist in Darling. If there was ever a "Most Threatened" area in the world, likewise. Rapidly expanding development along the West Coast will swallow large tracts of the internationally unique flora.
Cape, and is often confused with fynbos which grows in poorer soils. Most of the rain occurs between April and September (150 – 300mm). The show therefore represents a concentration of plants which flower in spring, although many of the plants also flower throughout the year. The Darling district represents a diverse flora of about 1200 species. Approximately 80 (6,5%) are endemic, whilst the rest also occur in other areas. One should keep in mind that during springtime there are a myriad of pollinators at work, such as wasps, flies, mice and sunbirds; the conservation of our local flora ensures healthy biodiversity of the whole area.
