Protea parvula

Last updated

Protea parvula
Protea parvula 15885813.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Protea
Species:
P. parvula
Binomial name
Protea parvula

Protea parvula, also known as the dainty sugarbush, [3] [4] [5] or kleinsuikerbos in Afrikaans,[ citation needed ] is a small flowering shrub belonging to the genus Protea . [3] [5]

Contents

Taxonomy

It was first described in 1958 from Mpumalanga (then part of the former Transvaal province) by John Stanley Beard. [2]

Description

It is a low-growing, creeping, shrubby groundcover, growing only up to 16cm in height. [5]

Sources differ on the ability of this species to survive wildfires. According to one source it is long-lived, with plants surviving over a century, and can regrow after fire from an underground bole or rootstock, [3] another source states the plant is killed by fire. [5] The seeds are released by the plant as soon as the woody fruit is ripe, from April to July, and are dispersed by the wind. [3] [5] The seeds are fire-proof, and simply lie on the ground until germination. [5]

Protea parvula flowers in the summer, [4] from December to March. The plant is monoecious with both sexes in each flower. [5] The flowers are pollinated by birds. [3] [5]

Inflorescence Protea parvula 15885811.jpg
Inflorescence

Distribution

Protea parvula is found on the slopes of the Drakensberg Mountains, from Mariepskop, [3] [5] through Mpumalanga and eSwatini, [3] [5] [6] to Vryheid in central northern KwaZulu-Natal. [3] [5] It grows in rocky, exposed grassland on acid soils, at altitudes of 1,300 to 2,150 meters. [3] [5]

Conservation

In 1996 it was assessed as "not threatened" in the Red data list of southern African plants, but in 2009 it was re-assessed as "near threatened", due to an estimated population reduction of 20-30%, caused by a loss of 28% of its natural habitat over the past century. It is primarily threatened by the planting of forests of non-native pine trees (afforestation) as well as mining for soapstone. [3] It may, however, be locally common. [5]

The species is protected in the Malolotja Nature Reserve in eSwatini. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Protea neriifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea neriifolia, also known as the narrow-leaf sugarbush, oleander-leaved sugarbush, blue sugarbush, or the oleanderleaf protea, is a flowering plant in the genus Protea, which is endemic to South Africa.

<i>Protea gaguedi</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea gaguedi is a species of tree which belongs to the genus Protea.

<i>Protea laurifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea laurifolia, also known as the grey-leaf sugarbush, is a shrub from South Africa. It is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa.

<i>Protea comptonii</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea comptonii, also known as saddleback sugarbush, is a smallish tree of the genus Protea in the family Proteaceae. It is found in South Africa and Eswatini.

<i>Protea scolymocephala</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea scolymocephala, also known as the thistle protea or thistle sugarbush, is a flowering plant from the genus Protea native to South Africa.

<i>Protea acaulos</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

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.

<i>Protea magnifica</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea magnifica, commonly known as the queen protea, is a shrub, which belongs to the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, and which is native to South Africa.

<i>Protea namaquana</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea namaquana, also known as the Kamiesberg sugarbush, is a flowering plant which belongs to the genus Protea. The plant is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa, in particular the Kamiesberg mountains of Namaqualand in the Northern Cape province. The species has a worldwide distribution of only 18 km2. It is regarded as critically endangered. In the Afrikaans language it has the vernacular name is Kamiesbergsuikerbos.

<i>Protea intonsa</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

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.

<i>Protea vogtsiae</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

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.

<i>Protea rubropilosa</i> Flowering tree

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.

<i>Protea dracomontana</i> Species of flowering shrub

Protea dracomontana, the Nyanga protea or the Drakensberg sugarbush, is a flowering plant that belongs within the genus Protea. The plant is found in the Eastern Cape, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal and the escarpment of the Free State, as well as eastern Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe this species is only known from a disjunct subpopulation confined to the summit of Mount Nyangani.

<i>Protea susannae</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

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.

<i>Protea speciosa</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea speciosa, also known as the brown-beard sugarbush, is a flowering shrub which is classified as within the genus Protea.

<i>Protea witzenbergiana</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea witzenbergiana, or Swan sugarbush, is a flowering shrub of the genus Protea.

<i>Protea lorea</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea lorea, also known as the thong-leaf sugarbush, is a flowering shrub belonging to the genus Protea.

<i>Protea lorifolia</i> Species of shrub

Protea lorifolia, in English called the strap-leaved sugarbush, strap-leaved protea or strap-leaf sugarbush is a flowering shrub which belongs to the genus Protea.

<i>Protea revoluta</i> Species of flowering plant

Protea revoluta, also known as the roll-leaved sugarbush or rolled-leaf sugarbush, is a species of plant which is classified in the genus Protea. P. revoluta is only found growing in the wild in South Africa, where plants can be found growing between the Cederberg inland on the Atlantic coast and the Witteberg area to the north.

<i>Protea caespitosa</i> Species of plant

Protea caespitosa, also known as hottentot bishop sugarbush or bishop sugarbush, is a flowering shrub belonging to the genus Protea which is only found growing in the wild in South Africa.

<i>Protea punctata</i> Species of flowering plant

Protea punctata, also known as the water sugarbush or water white sugarbush, is a shrub belonging to the genus Protea which is found growing in the wild in South Africa.

References

  1. Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L.; Lötter, M.C. (2020). "Protea parvula". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T113212131A185562660. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T113212131A185562660.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Protea parvula". International Plant Names Index . The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L. (14 August 2009). "Dainty Sugarbush". Red List of South African Plants. version 2020.1. South African National Biodiversity Institute . Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Protea parvula (Dainty sugarbush)". Biodiversity Explorer. Iziko - Museums of South Africa. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Grassland Sugarbushes Sugarbushes - Proteas". Protea Atlas Project Website. 11 March 1998. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  6. "Protea parvula Beard". Plants of the World Online . Kew Science. 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2020.