Protea pudens | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Proteales |
Family: | Proteaceae |
Genus: | Protea |
Species: | P. pudens |
Binomial name | |
Protea pudens | |
Synonyms [3] | |
Protea pudens, also known as the bashful sugarbush, [3] [4] [5] is a low-growing, groundcover-like, flowering shrub in the genus Protea . [5] It is only found growing in the wild in a small area in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
In Afrikaans this species is known by the vernacular name of aardroos suikerbos.[ citation needed ]
Protea pudens was first described as a new species by the South African botanist John Patrick Rourke in 1979, [2] who had collected it in the field from 1973. [6]
The plant grows as a prostrate shrub flat along the ground, forming a mat up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) in diameter, [5] 30 centimetres (12 in) in height. It is sparsely branching; the stems are 1 centimetre (0.39 in) in diameter. It blooms with the inflorescences usually at ground level. [6] It blooms in the winter, [4] from May to September, with the peak from July to August. The plant is monoecious with both sexes in each flower. [5] The flowers have no scent. The bracts subtending the inflorescence are deep pink in colour. [6]
The plant is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region in South Africa, [3] [7] and occurs in a small area on flats near the village of Elim, and elsewhere on the Agulhas Plain, in the Western Cape province. [3] [4] [5] The extent of occurrence only consists of 67 km2, wherein it is only known to occur at four localities. [3]
The plant grows in heavy, sandy clay, [3] [5] or shale-derived, gravelly soils, at altitudes of 23, [6] to 30–40 metres (100–130 ft). [3] [5] It grows in a specific type of ferricrete-soil, fynbos habitat. [3]
Pollination occurs through the action of birds. [3] [5]
Possible wildfires will destroy the mature plants, only the seeds will survive such an event. The seeds are stored in the many caps (fruits) in the dried, fire-resistant seed head, which is itself retained on the plant after senescence. The fruits are woody and persistent. The seeds are released from the caps after wildfires and dispersed by means of the wind. [3] [5]
It is rare, [4] although when collected in 1973, [6] up to 1998, [5] it was locally common within the small area where it is known to occur. [5] [6] It is a cryptic plant and easily overlooked. [5]
It was first added to the Red data list of southern African plants as 'endangered' by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in 1996, and this was upheld in 2006 and 2009. According to the 2006 SANBI assessment, the overall population is decreasing. Major threats to its survival were considered to be habitat loss due to expanding agriculture and invasive plants, as well as wild flower harvesting. Its total population is furthermore prone to fluctuations in abundance due to wildfires. [3]
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.
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.
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 scolymocephala, also known as the thistle protea or thistle sugarbush, is a flowering plant from the genus Protea native to South Africa.
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 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 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 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.
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 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 canaliculata, also known as the groove-leaf sugarbush, is a species of flowering shrub of the genus Protea, which is endemic to the Cape Provinces of South Africa.
Protea convexa, also known as large-leaf sugarbush, is a rare flowering shrub in the genus Protea of the family Proteaceae, which is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa.
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.
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.