Flower-picking is one way in which local communities can earn a living from the indigenous flowers of the Cape Flats. However, it is possible to ‘kill the goose that lays the golden egg’. As we saw in Module 5 the Cape Flats Erica (Erica verticillata) went extinct in the 1940s because of unsustainable flower picking. If we are to use our indigenous plants, we must harvest them in a sustainable manner.

In this section we will find out about some of the plants used for building and crafts in the lowlands of Cape Town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click the buttons to find out more about plants used for building and crafts:
 
Mat Sedge (Cyperus textilis)
Thatching Reed (Thamnochortus spicigerus, T. insignis, Chondropetalum tectorum)
Woody Alien Plants (Acacia spp)