The habitat of Kumara haemanthifolia on high Western Cape mountain slopes has rocky ground that is sour and peaty. The plant grows at elevations ranging between 500 m and 1650 m on south and south-easterly facing sandstone slopes from Jonkershoek at Stellenbosch to Ceres.

The winter conditions here are wet and cold, the plants even sometimes covered by snow. The summers are dry and cool at these altitudes, mist or wind being common; the nights are cold.

The roots, sometimes protected under moss or other vegetation, may also have meagre covering of just rock and bare soil. Water run-off is fast and retained moisture recedes deeply (Van Wyk and Smith, 2003; Reynolds, 1974; iSpot).