Water Sugarbush

The shrub is large and erect, growing up to four metres in height. The leaves are quite broad. It blooms from the late summer to the early winter, from December to June, but mainly in the autumn from March to April. The plant is monoecious with both sexes in each flower. The fruit is persistent.

It is endemic to South Africa, although it occurs in both the Eastern and Western Cape provinces. The plant is found from the Cederberg to the Riviersonderend Mountains, and in the Swartberg, Baviaanskloof, Kammanassie and Kouga Mountains. It can be seen in the Swartberg Pass.

The plant grows in seeps in shale or sandstone-derived soils, at altitudes of 1,200 to 2,000 metres. The type of habitat it is found in is usually fynbos of many different types, but it has also been found growing on shales. The mature plants die after the wildfires which occur in their native region, but the seeds can survive such events. Pollination occurs through the action of birds. The seeds are stored in a cap and released after they are ripe. They are dispersed by means of the wind. The adults of the Table Mountain pride butterfly (Aeropetes tulbaghia) sometimes feed from the flowers.