Several kinds of Phylica shrubs grow among the fynbos. The fynbos biome is defined by the presence of a mix of Protea, Erica and Restio. The Phylica genus, part of the Rhamnaceae family, comprises about 150 species. The majority of them occur in fynbos. As long as the three marker genera or types are represented, many things like soil, slope, rainfall and temperature may vary, but the veld in question will still constitute a form of fynbos.

Phylica imberbis grows in the Cape Peninsula, but also in the Bokkeveld towards the north-west and the Swartberge in the Little Karoo. The climates in these regions vary considerably, but if you know one part of fynbos, there is a certain familiarity to any new part.

The fynbos biome covers about 70 000 square km from the Nieuwoudtville escarpment in the west. The phenomenon continues in a crescent along the south coast as far as Grahamstown, never more than 200 km from the sea. This marvel of simultaneously delicate and durable vegetation has grabbed the imagination of people from all over the world (Privett and Lutzeyer, 2010; Moriarty, 1997; McMahon and Fraser, 1988).