Protea caespitosa

Protea caespitosa
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Proteales
Family:	Proteaceae
Genus:	Protea
Species:	P. caespitosa
Binomial name
Protea caespitosa Andrews [2]
Synonyms [3] [4] [5]
Erodendrum turbiniflorum Salisb. Erodendrum caespitosumSalisb. ex. Knight Protea turbiniflora(Salisb.) R.Br. Scolymocephalus turbiniflorus(Salisb.) Kuntze Protea oleracea L.Guthrie

Protea caespitosa, also known as hottentot bishop sugarbush ^[6] or bishop sugarbush, ^{[3] [7] [8]} is a flowering shrub belonging to the genus Protea which is only found growing in the wild in South Africa. ^{[3] [8]}

Other vernacular names which have been recorded for Protea caespitosa are dual-leaf protea and turfy erodendrum, ^[6] or, in the Afrikaans language, biskopsuikerbos.^{[ citation needed ]}

Taxonomy

In his 1810 treatise On the Proteaceae of Jussieu , Robert Brown classified this species as Protea turbiniflora, thereby renaming the Erodendrum turbiniflorum first described by Richard Anthony Salisbury in The Paradisus Londinensis , and incorrectly sinking into synonymy the previously named Protea caespitosa, which had been described by Henry Cranke Andrews a few years before. ^{[2] [4]}

The South African botanist Louise Guthrie described P. oleracea in 1925 during her work at the Bolus Herbarium. ^{[5] [9]} The International Plant Names Index incorrectly attributes all of her species descriptions to her father, Francis Guthrie, who died 26 years before the publication of this name. ^[10]

Description

It is a rounded shrub which can grow up 70 to 100 centimeters (28 to 39 inches) in height, ^{[6] [8]} but individuals are usually found as much shorter plants which form cushions of up to 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) high. ^{[6] [7]} The plant is monoecious with both sexes in each flower. ^[8]

The leaves are somewhat variable: some populations have plants with more lanceolate leaves, ^[8] but there is also a form with very broad leaves. ^[7]

Seedlings have been confused with Protea acaulos in the field, but when the plant is flowering or fruiting, the brown-coloured leaves around the base of the inflorescence are unique. ^[6]

Distribution

The plant is endemic to the southwest of the Western Cape, South Africa. ^[3] It occurs at high altitudes in the Cape Fold mountain ranges, from the Slanghoek and Du Toit Mountains, ^[3] through the Hottentots Holland, ^[8] to the mountain ranges of Kogelberg and western Riviersonderend. ^{[3] [7] [8]} Protea caespitosa has a restricted range. Different subpopulations can fluctuate in abundance due to the action of wildfires. ^[3]

Ecology

Mature individuals are killed by wildfires, and only the seeds survive. ^{[3] [8]}

The plant flowers in from mid-winter to the start of summer, from July to November. ^[8] It can flower at two years old. ^[6] There is only a single record of a pollinator, a mammal (rodent), ^{[6] [8]} although it may also be pollinated by birds. ^{[3] [8]} The seeds are retained in the persistent, dry-fruited, fire-resistant inflorescences for a few years, ^{[3] [8]} and are released after fires. ^[3] The seeds are eventually dispersed by means of the wind. ^{[3] [8]}

The habitat in which it can be found is typically on the summits of mountains in a substrate of Cederberg shale, ^[8] and here it appears to prefer growing in deeper soils. It is also often found growing in sandstone regions. ^[6] It often occurs in dense stands. ^[8] It grows at altitudes of 820 to 1,500 meters (2,690 to 4,920 feet), although most records are from some 1,400 to 1,720 meters (4,590 to 5,640 ft). ^[6]

Conservation

Although it was considered 'not threatened' in the past (following Hilton-Taylor (1996)), ^{[3] [8]} and dense stands exist, ^[8] the South African National Biodiversity Institute classed it as 'vulnerable' in 2019. ^[3]

There are no severe threats. ^[3] It can be considered well-conserved: as of 2008, 96% of the population is protected in nature reserves, ^[6] for example in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve in the Western Cape. ^[7]

References

1. Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L. (2020). "Protea caespitosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020 e.T113208764A185540329. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T113208764A185540329.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
2. "Protea caespitosa". International Plant Names Index . The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
3. Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L. (27 September 2019). "Bishop Sugarbush". Red List of South African Plants. version 2020.1. South African National Biodiversity Institute . Retrieved 15 July 2020.
4. Brown, Robert (1810). "On the Proteaceae of Jussieu". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 10 (1): 93–94. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1810.tb00013.x . Retrieved 12 July 2020.
5. "Protea caespitosa Andrews". Plants of the World Online . Kew Science. 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
6. Tony Rebelo (25 January 2008). Protea Atlas (PDF) (Report). South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town. p. 75-76. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
7. "Protea caespitosa (Bishop sugarbush)". Biodiversity Explorer. Iziko - Museums of South Africa. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
8. "Bishop Sugarbushes - Proteas". Protea Atlas Project Website. 11 March 1998. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
9. "Protea oleracea". International Plant Names Index . The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
10. "Annals of the Bolus Herbarium. London". International Plant Names Index . The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 9 August 2020.