How does the Cape Floral Kingdom rank by size?

It is the smallest floral kingdom

Why do many fynbos plants need fire?

Fire triggers seeds to germinate

Fire makes them grow taller trunks

Table Mountain Fynbos Quiz: Proteas and the Cape Floral Kingdom

This Table Mountain fynbos quiz explores the rich shrubland on Cape Town's famous mountain, part of the smallest of the world's floral kingdoms. Play 10 interactive questions on what fynbos means, proteas, ericas and restios, the king protea, the red disa orchid, sugarbirds, why fire helps these plants and the Cape Floral Region's UNESCO status.

Start Table Mountain Fynbos Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
Which city does Table Mountain overlook?
Word
What does fynbos mean?
Kingdom
How does the Cape Floral Kingdom rank by size?
Count
Roughly how many plant species grow on Table Mountain?
Flower
Which protea is South Africa's national flower?
Heath
What are ericas?
Reed
Which reed-like plants are typical of fynbos?
Orchid
Which red orchid is called the Pride of Table Mountain?
Bird
Which long-tailed bird pollinates proteas?
Fire
Why do many fynbos plants need fire?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which city does Table Mountain overlook?
Answer: Cape Town
It rises above the city bowl.
Q2: What does fynbos mean?
Answer: Fine bush
It is an Afrikaans word.
Q3: How does the Cape Floral Kingdom rank by size?
Answer: It is the smallest floral kingdom
Yet it is extremely rich in species.
Q4: Roughly how many plant species grow on Table Mountain?
Answer: About 2,200
That is more than the whole British Isles.
Q5: Which protea is South Africa's national flower?
Answer: King protea
Its head can be bigger than a plate.
Q6: What are ericas?
Answer: Small heaths with bell-shaped flowers
Hundreds of species grow in the Cape.
Q7: Which reed-like plants are typical of fynbos?
Answer: Restios
They replace grasses in many areas.
Q8: Which red orchid is called the Pride of Table Mountain?
Answer: Disa uniflora
It grows beside mountain streams.
Q9: Which long-tailed bird pollinates proteas?
Answer: Cape sugarbird
It feeds on nectar.
Q10: Why do many fynbos plants need fire?
Answer: Fire triggers seeds to germinate
Smoke and heat release seeds.

A Floral Kingdom on One Mountain

Table Mountain rises above Cape Town and is part of the Cape Floral Region, the smallest of the world's six floral kingdoms but one of the richest. The mountain alone holds about 2,200 plant species, more than the whole British Isles. The main vegetation is fynbos, an Afrikaans word for fine bush.

Fynbos is made up of three main groups: proteas, ericas and restios. The king protea, South Africa's national flower, has huge flower heads. Ericas are small heaths with bell-shaped flowers, and restios are reed-like plants. The red Disa uniflora orchid, called the Pride of Table Mountain, grows by streams.

Cape sugarbirds and sunbirds pollinate many flowers. Fynbos needs fire every decade or two, as heat and smoke trigger seeds to sprout. The Cape Floral Region Protected Areas were listed by UNESCO in 2004, and Table Mountain National Park protects much of the mountain.

What This Quiz Teaches

Plant and nature fans will enjoy these questions.

What fynbos means
Which plant groups dominate
Which flowers stand out
Who pollinates them
Why fire matters

Did You Know?

Kirstenbosch garden lies on the slopes.
Many species grow nowhere else.
Dassies sun themselves on rocks.
The tablecloth cloud brings moisture.
Invasive pines threaten fynbos.