ELEGIA STIPULARIS

Family: Restionaceae
Common name: Cushion Restio

WAVING IN THE ROOIELS WIND

You must have seen this cushion restio. There are many in the Rooiels Reserve and surrounding areas. We also find them on Klein-Hangklip, while vast populations grow on Rooiels Mountain.

Waving in the wind, their overall appearance is elegant and mesmerising, creating movement across the landscape against the lower mountain slopes — a delight for fynbos lovers.

DESCRIPTION

Elegia stipularis is a compact, tufted restio that can grow up to about one metre tall.

The sheaths are tan, with reddish-brown speckles and tan margins. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants and appear during June and July.

The brown fruits are papery to leathery and are not winged.

WHERE DOES IT GROW?

This restio is common on well-drained slopes, where it can form dense stands. Unlike some other restios, it is not found in seepages or wet places. It prefers deeper sandy soils and sandstone slopes.

Sometimes we look across a lower mountain slope covered in restios and see a strip of Leucadendron meandering down through them.

Why is that?

The Leucadendron enjoys the seepage.

The cushion restio doesn't.

Suddenly the plants are telling us something about the mountain beneath our feet.

WIND, SEEDS AND FIRE

Restios are wind-pollinated. Walking in the fynbos, one sometimes sees little puffs of pollen suddenly flying into the air. They may come from various plants — and our Elegia stipularis is one of them.

Female plants have large, prominent sheaths that help funnel wind-borne pollen onto the stigmas.

The seeds are released before the next flush of flowers and are stored in the upper layer of the soil.

Fire brings dramatic change. The mature plants are killed, but fire and smoke stimulate seeds lying in the soil to germinate. These seedlings then become the next generation of cushion restios.

We have observed stunning displays in the Kogelberg Nature Reserve after fire. Growing faster than many of the surrounding plants, the young restios can dominate the recovering landscape. Suddenly one comes across a spectacular field of reddish-golden cushion restios.

IN THE GARDEN

Elegia stipularis is fairly fast-growing and makes an attractive garden plant. It does particularly well in groups, where its graceful movement and seasonal colours can make a wonderful display.

Conservation status: Not threatened.

Click to find out more on iNaturalist