Protea punctata

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Protea punctata
Protea punctata01.jpg
Protea punctata on the Swartberg Pass in South Africa
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Protea
Species:
P. punctata
Binomial name
Protea punctata
Synonyms [3] [4] [5]
Protea punctata in the Swartberg Nature Reserve, South Africa. Protea punctata (Proteaceae) (4575515105).jpg
Protea punctata in the Swartberg Nature Reserve, South Africa.

Protea punctata, also known as the water sugarbush [6] [7] [8] or water white sugarbush, [6] is a shrub belonging to the genus Protea which is found growing in the wild in South Africa. [6] [8]

Contents

In Afrikaans this species is known by the vernacular names of water-witsuikerbos, [6] witsuikerbos [6] or angeliersuikerbos.[ citation needed ]

The tree's national number 94.1. [9]

Taxonomy

The species Protea punctata was first described by Carl Daniel Friedrich Meissner in mid-October 1856, in the Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis , [2] initiated by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle. [2] [3]

As related by Meissner in the same work, the synonym P. carlescens was introduced as a misspelling of P. coriacea given as taxon name to the specimens which were collected by Johann Franz Drège in the mountains of the Cape in the herbarium of Heinrich Wilhelm Buek, because he noted that the localities recorded for P. coriacea in the 1843 list provided by Drège were identical. [4] [5]

Description

The shrub is large and erect, growing up to four metres in height. [8] The leaves are quite broad. [7] It blooms from the late summer to the early winter, from December to June, but mainly in the autumn from March to April. [7] [8] The plant is monoecious with both sexes in each flower. The fruit is persistent. [8]

Distribution

It is endemic to South Africa, although it occurs in both the Eastern and Western Cape provinces. [6] The plant is found from the Cederberg [7] [8] [4] to the Riviersonderend Mountains, [8] and in the Swartberg, [7] [8] Baviaanskloof, [7] Kammanassie and Kouga Mountains. [8] It can be seen in the Swartberg Pass. [7]

Ecology

The plant grows in seeps in shale or sandstone-derived soils, at altitudes of 1,200 to 2,000 metres. [8] The type of habitat it is found in is usually fynbos of many different types, but it has also been found growing on shales. [6]

The mature plants die after the wildfires which occur in their native region, but the seeds can survive such events. Pollination occurs through the action of birds. The seeds are stored in a cap and released after they are ripe. They are dispersed by means of the wind. [8]

The adults of the Table Mountain pride butterfly ( Aeropetes tulbaghia ) sometimes feed from the flowers. [7]

Conservation

It is not threatened. [8] The population numbers are believed to be stable. The South African National Biodiversity Institute assessed the conservation status of the species as 'least concern' in 2009, and again in 2019. [6]

Related Research Articles

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

<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 montana</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae endemic to South Africa

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.

<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 pudens</i> Flowering tree

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.

<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 scabra</i> Species of flowering shrub

Protea scabra, also known as the sandpaper-leaf sugarbush, is a flowering groundcover that belongs to the genus Protea. The plant is endemic to South Africa and is found from the Hottentots Holland Mountains across the Riviersonderend Mountains, the Kleinrivier Mountains and around the town of Caledon to the Swartberg mountains.

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

Protea parvula, also known as the dainty sugarbush, or kleinsuikerbos in Afrikaans, is a small flowering shrub belonging to the genus Protea.

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

Protea scabriuscula, also known as the hoary sugarbush or gray sugarbush, is a flowering shrub, endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa.

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

Protea scolopendriifolia, also known as the harts-tongue-fern sugarbush or hart's-tongue-fern sugarbush, is a flowering shrub endemic to South Africa, where it occurs in both the Western and Eastern Cape. It is found from the Cederberg, through the Kogelberg, Riviersonderend Mountains and Swartberg, to the Kouga Mountains. It blooms in Spring, from September to December.

References

  1. Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L. (2020). "Protea punctata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T113214209A185550073. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T113214209A185550073.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Protea punctata". 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 "Protea punctata Meisn". Plants of the World Online . Kew Science. 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Specimen: K000423583". Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Details: Protea carlescens". HBGID. Herbarium Hamburgense. 20 October 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L. (11 June 2019). "Water Sugarbush". Red List of South African Plants. version 2020.1. South African National Biodiversity Institute . Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Protea punctata (Water sugarbush)". Biodiversity Explorer. Iziko - Museums of South Africa. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "White Water Sugarbushes - Proteas". Protea Atlas Project Website. 11 March 1998. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  9. "National List of Indigenous Trees".