About Diastella buekii (Gand.) Rourke
Diastella buekii, commonly known as the Franschhoek silkypuff, is a flowering shrub that belongs to the genus Diastella and is a member of the fynbos vegetation. This plant is native to the Western Cape province of South Africa, where it grows in the Franschhoek and Wemmershoek valleys. It is a low, flat-growing shrub that reaches only 15 centimeters in height, and produces flowers between August and November. While wildfires kill the mature plant, its seeds are able to survive fire events. The fruit is released two months after flowering finishes, and ants disperse the seeds by storing them in their nests. Diastella buekii is unisexual, and pollination of its flowers is carried out by bees. It grows in moist sand at altitudes between 200 and 300 meters.
