Prince Albert

Prince Albert has its own beautiful vygie that occurs only in this part of the world - the entire world population is found within a radius of about 5 km of Prince Albert. The plant has fleshy smooth leaves 12-15 mm wide and 30 mm long. Every year a few new leaves grow from the central stem. The many petaled, golden-yellow flowers, 25 mm in diameter, appear in winter.

sketch by Pat Marincowitz

This plant was discovered in about 1930 by Deborah van der Bijl and was named after her. (William van der Bijl and his family lived on the farm Abrahamskraal, just north of Prince Albert.)  Mrs. van der Bijl was born in Paarl as Deborah Susanna Malan. She was exceptionally interested in Karoo plants and the various specimens she sent to Kew Gardens in London were received and cultivated by the curator, NE Brown. Deborah  also grew and labeled many kinds of indigenous plants in a botanical garden that she laid out at Abrahamskraal. The visitors book from the farm (treasured by Deborah's granddaughter Dillys Robinson of Tokai, Cape Town) records the names of a number of famous botanists.

Many overseas botanists have traveled to Prince Albert especially to see Bijlia cana and other plants unique to this part of the Karoo, in their natural habitat. 

 Helena Marincowitz