| Large-leaf sugarbush | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Protea |
| Species: | P. convexa |
| Binomial name | |
| Protea convexa | |
Protea convexa, also known as large-leaf sugarbush, [3] [4] [5] is a rare flowering shrub in the genus Protea of the family Proteaceae, [3] [4] [6] which is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa. [3] [7]
The first person who is known to have collected Protea convexa was the German explorer Rudolf Marloth on plains near Matjiesfontein in September 1903. Marloth's collection of a pressed specimen (#3209) [8] [9] was sent to and arrived at the Kew Herbarium in 1904, where it has been housed ever since. [9] Based on this specimen, in 1910 the South African botanist Edwin Percy Phillips then described it as a new species. [2] [8] Phillips did not designate holotypes in his paper, [8] but in 1960 the South African botanist Hedley Brian Rycroft designated Marloth's specimen as such. [9] The specific epithet refers to the shape of the receptacle, the bottom of the flower head. [8]
This is a flat, prostrate shrub, [5] although it has been said to grow up to 10 feet (3.0 m) high. [10] On average, individual plants have a generation length of about 20 years. [3] The leaves are very broad and large for a Protea, [4] 5–9 inches (13–23 cm) in length and 2–3.5 inches (5.1–8.9 cm) broad at the widest point. [10] The leaves are glaucous, [8] [9] [10] glabrous and prominently veined. [10] The flower heads are squat and compressed in shape, [9] with a convex, hemispherical receptacle (the bottom of the structure). [8] It is monoecious, both sexes occur in each flower. The seeds are stored in capsules, themselves stored in the dried old flower head. [5]
In his initial diagnosis, Phillips found it to be most similar to Protea acaulos , or at least what he called P. acaulis var. obovata, differing in the shape of the receptacle. It also has larger, glaucous leaves and a larger flower head. [8]
This species is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa. [3] [7] It is specifically found in the northern Cederberg, [3] Witteberg, [3] [4] [5] Klein Swartberg, [3] [5] Elandsberg, and Tra-Tra mountain ranges. [5] It can be found in the mountains above the Klein Karoo in the background of the village of Matjiesfontein. [3] [4] [9]
The plant grows on the northern slopes of arid, rocky kloofs (dry ravines) at altitudes of 1,100 to 1,500 metres. [3] [5] It exclusively grows in a fynbos habitat in the wild, in substrates derived from either sandstone or quartzite. [3]
The adult specimens of this protea are killed when they are caught in the wildfires which periodically pass through the native habitat, but the seeds can survive such events. [3] [5] Its flowers bloom in Spring, [4] from August to November, with the peak in October. Pollination occurs through the visits of either rats, mice, [5] birds [3] [5] or insects. [3] The seeds are stored in the fruit after becoming ripe, and the fruit are themselves stored in the old, dried, fire-resistant inflorescences, which are persistently retained on the plant after senescence. The inflorescences open one to two years after flowering after fires have passed through the land. When released from their capsules, the seeds are eventually dispersed by means of the wind. [3] [5]
Protea convexa was already assessed as 'rare' in 1980, a conservation status which was given again in 1996 by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in the first Red List of South African Plants. [3] It was considered rare and known from only a few populations in the 1990s. [5] In their 2006 assessment for the Red List, SANBI considered the conservation status to be 'critically endangered', this was repeated again in the 2009 assessment. [3]
The plant is mostly thought to be threatened by the expansion of rooibos tea farms in its habitat, as well as the effects of climate change. It is susceptible to drought, plants can die in such circumstances. Other potential threats identified were invasive plants, natural disasters and pollution. [3]
In 2005 Bomhard et al. predicted, based on their reading of models projecting the effects of climate change, that more than 80% of the population of the time would be extirpated by 2020, which qualified the species for upgrading its conservation status from 'lower risk' to 'critically endangered'. [11] In the 2006 assessment, SANBI, "based on the opinion of experts", moved up the date when the species would be reduced by more than 80% to 2025. The total population numbers were thought to be decreasing in 2006. [3]
Protea is a genus of South African flowering plants, also called sugarbushes.
Protea aristata is a compact shrub with beautiful flowers which is endemic to the southwestern part of the Cape Region of South Africa. P. aristata has become one of South Africa's most famous proteas in spite of its relatively late discovery, and re-discovery in 1953. The leaves are soft, dense and needle-like and the flower heads are a stunning crimson red, it may thus be a good potential ornamental plant for South African gardens. It is usually called the Ladismith sugarbush in South African English, although it has been called pine sugar bush in Australia. In the Afrikaans language it has the vernacular name of klein-den-suikerbos.
Protea acaulos, also known as the common ground sugarbush, is a flowering plant found in the southwestern Cape Region, South Africa. It is also simply known as ground protea; in the Afrikaans language it is known as an aardroos.
Protea effusa, sometimes known as the scarlet sugarbush, is a flowering plant which belongs to the genus Protea. The plant is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa. In the Afrikaans language the vernacular name blosrooisuikerbos has been recorded for this plant.
Protea pendula, also known as the nodding sugarbush or arid sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea, in the family Proteaceae, which is only found growing in the wild in the Cape Region of South Africa. In the Afrikaans language it is known as knikkopsuikerbossie or ondersteboknopprotea.
Protea recondita, also known as the hidden sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, which is endemic to the Cape Region of South Africa, and distributed from the Piketberg and Cederberg to the Groot Winterhoek mountains. The flowers of this unusual plant are pollinated by non-flying mammals: rodents and elephant shrews. In the Afrikaans language it is known as gesigtoehouprotea or skaamroos.
Protea sulphurea, also known as the sulphur sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea in the family Proteaceae, which is only known to grow in the wild in the Western Cape province of South Africa. A vernacular name for the plant in the Afrikaans language is heuningkoeksuikerbos or Skaamblom.
Protea foliosa, also known as the leafy sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea in the family Proteaceae which is endemic to the Cape Region of South Africa. In the Afrikaans language it is known as ruie-suikerbos.
Protea intonsa, also known as the tufted sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, endemic to South Africa, where it is distributed from the eastern Swartberg and Kammanassie Mountains to the Baviaanskloof mountains. In Afrikaans it is known as klossie-suikerbos.
Protea montana also known as the Swartberg sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, which is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa. In Afrikaans it is known as swartbergsuikerbos.
Protea vogtsiae, also known as the Kouga sugarbush, is a small flowering shrub of the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, which is only found growing in the wild in the southern Cape Region of South Africa.
Protea rubropilosa, also known as the Transvaal sugarbush, escarpment sugarbush or Transvaal mountain sugarbush, is a flowering tree, that belongs to the genus Protea in the family Proteaceae. The plant only occurs in South Africa.
Protea pudens, also known as the bashful sugarbush, is a low-growing, groundcover-like, flowering shrub in the genus Protea. It is only found growing in the wild in a small area in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Protea burchellii, also known as Burchell's sugarbush, is a flowering shrub in the genus Protea, which is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa.
Protea susannae, also known as stink-leaf sugarbush, is a flower-bearing shrub of the genus Protea. The plant is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa.
Protea angustata, also known as the Kleinmond sugarbush, is a flowering shrub that belongs to the genus Protea. This plant is endemic to the south-west Cape Region of South Africa.
Protea witzenbergiana, or Swan sugarbush, is a flowering shrub of the genus Protea.
Protea pityphylla, also known as Ceres sugarbush or mountain rose, is a flowering shrub of the genus Protea, in the family Proteaceae. The plant is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa.
Protea laevis, also known as the smooth-leaf sugarbush, is a flowering shrub that belongs within the genus Protea.
Protea decurrens, also known as linear-leaf sugarbush, is a shrub of the genus Protea, in the Proteaceae family, which is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa. It is a small shrub with a thick underground rootstock, this structure throwing up numerous leafy branches, upon the base of which clusters of flower heads may appear close to the ground. It is pollinated by rodents and grows in low-altitude fynbos or renosterveld.
