Kumara plicatilis

Plants form tall shrubs or small to medium-sized trees with a naked stem of 3–5 m high, which is dichotomously branched (forked) and rebranched. Leaves are strap-shaped with a rounded tip, arranged in a fan, ± 300 mm long, and ± 40 mm wide, with a narrow mostly toothless margin, which does not differ significantly in colour from the rest of the leaf. The leaf sap is clear, but becomes pale yellow and wax-like when dry. Scarlet flowers (up to 55 mm long) are borne in unbranched inflorescences consisting of cone-shaped, lax racemes (flower clusters) in late winter and spring (August to October). This species is restricted to mountainous parts from Franschhoek to Elandskloof, Western Cape, South Africa. It grows on Table Mountain Sandstone substrates in mountainous areas of very high winter rainfall, among Fynbos Heathland, on steep southwest-facing slopes in rocky areas.