Fynbos mountain slopes will have restios as well as small-leaved ericoid shrubs and large-leaved shrubs of the Proteaceae family in combination to earn their fynbos name. In any given spot the plant mix favours particular species and even one of the three fynbos vegetation components. This depends upon factors such as the soil and stone, gradient and directional facing of the slope, as well as the rainfall and rainy season of a particular environment.

The flat foreground of this (winter rainfall) Kogelberg valley has a preponderance of restio plants, while few proteas and ericas are to be seen. In winter, lowlands such as this may become much moister, even swampy, compared to the slopes where the upper soil layer may dry faster than even a sandy flat like this.

The soil may also be deeper and less rocky here than higher up. When the plant cover is strong, less soil may be washed down and disappear along the watercourses to other regions and the sea.