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Born from fire

Fynbos at Cape St Francis, on 35mm film

The Fynbos is fire-dependent. It evolved over 140 million years in the active presence of flame. Many proteas practise serotiny. Their seeds stay locked in woody cones, released only when fire kills the parent plant. The ash enriches the soil. The cleared ground removes competition. Destruction is how it begins again. The plant has always known this.

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