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Gone but not forgotten

Gone but not forgotten

Author: By Kasia Yoko
Date: 2025-11-03

They thought she was gone. For nearly forty years, Erica cunoniensis-a shy, pink-flowering fynbos native to the slopes of Kogelberg-had vanished from sight. Botanists searched, prayed, and finally surrendered her to memory. But nature, as always, had the final say.

This September, high on the Buffelstalberg ridge, a team from CapeNature and the Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) stumbled upon something that made their hearts stop-eight living Erica cunoniensis plants, standing proud against the mountain wind. Eight survivors, defying extinction.

The last time anyone saw her was in the 1980s. A search in 2012 found nothing. Yet, this year, among 1 800 species that make Kogelberg the soul of the Cape Floral Kingdom, she reappeared-delicate, stubborn, and utterly alive.

Sometimes nature hides what she loves most. And sometimes, when we've almost forgotten, she lets us find it again.