The Cape Floral Kingdom Table Mountain and The Cape Floral Kingdom Table Mountain was proclaimed a Natural and Historic Monument in 1951 and is now applying for recognition as a World Heritage Site . This means that for Capetonians and visitors a huge recreation ground in the middle of the city will be kept in perpetuity for their use.
Many plants are unique to the mountain.
About 1470 of the Cape Peninsula's 2600 species of plants grow on Table Mountain and some of them occur nowhere else. These include the beautiful silver tree and many species of orchid. The flora of the the South Western Cape Province of South Africa is so rich that this small are on its own consitutes one of the world's six Floral Kingdoms - the Cape Kingdom. In local parlance the flora is called fynbos or fine bush because of its small drought-resisting leaves. Despite the infertility of the Cape's sandy soils, fynbos is uniquely rich in orchids, gladioli, irises and many other beautiful plants.