Whenever this beautiful botanical is seen, it is often greeted with surprise as if it has never been seen before. The mysterious, almost alien looking Brunia albiflora or also called Coffee Bush after it's coffee scented flowers is a summer favorite. Albiflora has long leafy branches with beautiful dark green foliage that resembles a pine tree, but is much, much softer. The flowers or ‘bobbles’ are crowded into tight spherical knob-like inflorescences that are clustered into flat, rounded heads in a deep green hue touched with silver. The flower-heads are very striking, and branches are mostly sold with the flower-heads still in bud.
However, in late summer the flowers start to open in a ring, starting on the outside of the bobble and working inwards. Each tiny flower is about ¼” long, white with yellow stamens sticking out, giving the inflorescence a yellowish tinge.
Whether in a bud stage or flowering, Brunia Albilfora adds a unique and long-lasting touch and texture to any floral arrangement or bouquet.
What to look for
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If possible, buy before the flowers are open as branches with cones last longer than open flowers;
- Leaves should have a glossy green appearance;
- Avoid bunches with flowers showing brown marks.
Flower Care
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Keep cool.
- Strip leaves from the lower half of each stem.
- Recut at least ½” off each branch and place in water.
- Don’t use a preservative as this may open the flower-buds.
- Add a half cap of bleach to the vase.
- Replace vase water with fresh water every 2 days.
Fynbos - pronounced fain-boss - is the vegetation that is found growing naturally on the the mountains and coastal plains of south-western tip of South Africa. It is unique to this area. The name comes from the Dutch fijn and bosch meaning fine bush referring to the very small leaves and flowers of many of the species. Fynbos makes up 80% of the Cape Floristic Region (often called the Cape Floral Kingdom).
Fynbos is characterized by the presence of four main plant groups: Restios, proteas, heaths and geophytes, as well as seven plant families that only occur in fynbos.
Restios
Protea
Silver Tree
Leucadendron and Mimetes
Heaths
Bruniaceae
What's so special about fynbos?
Fynbos is amazingly diverse and exceptionally rich in species, and it occupies a relatively tiny area of land. Over 7,000 species occur in 41,000 km, and 80% of them occur nowhere else on Earth.
The Cape Peninsula alone has 2,600 species - that's more than the total number of species in the British Isles - crammed into an area smaller than London.
Compare species diversity with other heathland communities in Australia and the California, and with the rest of South Africa:
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Cape Floristic region - 94 species per 1,000 km
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Australia - 14 species per 1,000 km
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California - 12 species per 1,000 km
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The rest of S. Africa - 8 species per 1,000 km
When you walk through fynbos you can discover a new species with every step.
As spring arrives there are many wonderful opportunities to celebrate. Consider the months of March, April and May. We honor women (Woman’s Day), working professionals (Professional’s Day) and mothers (Mother’s Day) as well as celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Easter.
All of these occasions provide the perfect opportunity to give and to enjoy flowers. Protea are harvested year round, with springtime providing the most abundant selection.
During this time of the year, many of the new hybrid protea and leucospermum are in bloom, the leucadendron flower and develop cones, and several other amazing family members like bruniaceae, telopea, and isopogon are also being harvested. Some of the season's most popular varieties are protea Andrea and Pink Duke, leucospermum Flame Giant and Tango, as well as leucadendron Red Eye and Pom Pom.
It's time to Welcome spring in a unique fashion with a bounty of colorful proteaceae!
