Protea roupelliae

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Silver sugarbush
Protea roupelliae flower2.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Protea
Species:
P. roupelliae
Binomial name
Protea roupelliae
Protea roupelliae at Kransberg in the Transvaal Waterberg Protea roupelliae00.jpg
Protea roupelliae at Kransberg in the Transvaal Waterberg

Protea roupelliae is a species of Protea in the large family Proteaceae, and was named to commemorate Arabella Elizabeth Roupell (1817-1914) who spent two years in Cape Town and painted local flowers for her own pleasure. This species is also known as the silver sugarbush.

Contents

Description

It is a small tree which grows from three to five metres high on average.

Taxonomy

This species has two subspecies, P. roupelliae hamiltonii and P. roupelliae roupelliae. [2] P. roupelliae hamiltonii is a single-stemmed small shrublet which grows up to 0.3 metres tall. P. roupelliae roupelliae, on the other hand, may grow to be a small tree of about 8 metres in height. [3]

Protea roupelliae is placed in the subfamily Proteoideae, which is found mainly in Southern Africa. This subfamily is defined as those species having cluster roots, solitary ovules and indehiscent fruits. Proteoideae is further divided into four tribes: Conospermeae, Petrophileae, Proteae and Leucadendreae. [4] The genus Protea, and hence P. roupelliae, is placed under the tribe Proteae.

The Proteaceae comprises about 80 genera with about 1600 species. It has Gondwanan distribution, which means that it is mainly spread across the Southern Hemisphere, from Southern Africa, across to Australia, to South America, although certain species are also found in equatorial Africa, India, southern Asia and Oceania [5] as well.

Distribution and habitat

Protea roupelliae is found in eastern South Africa, on the quartzite ridges of Johannesburg, in the Waterberg Biosphere and northwards into Zimbabwe. It grows in grasslands and in hilly terrain. The hamiltonii subspecies is restricted to quartzite soils where clay has been leached at 1300 metres altitude. [3] The roupelliae subspecies is more adaptable and may grow in a variety of soils at varying altitudes (0-2400m), and is more widespread. [3]

Ecology

This plant, especially P. roupelliae roupelliae, [3] may flower at any time of the year, but most commonly in February and April, just after the summer rains. P. roupelliae is pollinated by many species such as beetles, bees and sunbirds; Gurney's sugarbird has a close relationship with the plant. [6]

Cultivation

This plant may be grown in gardens for its beauty and to attract wildlife to the garden.

Related Research Articles

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

Protea cynaroides, also called the king protea, is a flowering plant. It is a distinctive member of Protea, having the largest flower head in the genus. The species is also known as giant protea, honeypot or king sugar bush. It is widely distributed in the southwestern and southern parts of South Africa in the fynbos region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waratah</span> Genus of plants in the family Proteaceae from southeastern Australia

Waratah (Telopea) is an Australian-endemic genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees, native to the southeastern parts of Australia. The best-known species in this genus is Telopea speciosissima, which has bright red flowers and is the New South Wales (NSW) state emblem. The waratah is a member of the family Proteaceae, flowering plants distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The key diagnostic feature of Proteaceae is the inflorescence, which is often very large, brightly coloured and showy, consisting of many small flowers densely packed into a compact head or spike. Species of waratah boast such inflorescences ranging from 6–15 cm in diameter with a basal ring of coloured bracts. The leaves are spirally arranged, 10–20 cm long and 2–3 cm broad with entire or serrated margins. The name waratah comes from the Eora Aboriginal people, the pre-European inhabitants of the Sydney area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proteaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

The Proteaceae form a family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genera with about 1,660 known species. Australia and South Africa have the greatest concentrations of diversity. Together with the Platanaceae, Nelumbonaceae and in the recent APG IV system the Sabiaceae, they make up the order Proteales. Well-known 'Proteaceae genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea, Hakea and Macadamia. Species such as the New South Wales waratah, king protea, and various species of Banksia, Grevillea, and Leucadendron are popular cut flowers. The nuts of Macadamia integrifolia are widely grown commercially and consumed, as are those of Gevuina avellana on a smaller scale.

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

Protea welwitschii is a species of shrub or small tree which belongs to the genus Protea, and which occurs in bushveld and different types of grassland.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proteoideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants

Proteoideae is one of the five subfamilies of the plant family Proteaceae. The greatest diversity is in Africa, but there are also many species in Australia; a few species occur in South America, New Caledonia, and elsewhere.

<i>Telopea truncata</i> Shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Tasmania

Telopea truncata, commonly known as the Tasmanian waratah, is a plant in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to Tasmania where it is found on moist acidic soils at altitudes of 600 to 1200 m (2000–4000 ft). Telopea truncata is a component of alpine eucalypt forest, rainforest and scrub communities. It grows as a multistemmed shrub to a height of 3 metres (10 ft), or occasionally as a small tree to 10 m (35 ft) high, with red flower heads, known as inflorescences, appearing over the Tasmanian summer and bearing 10 to 35 individual flowers. Yellow-flowered forms are occasionally seen, but do not form a population distinct from the rest of the species.

<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>Vexatorella obtusata</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae from the Western Cape, South Africa

Vexatorella obtusata is an evergreen shrub, with narrow, leathery leaves and about 2 cm big, globular flowerheads consisting of well scented, creamy pink flowers, from which a long style with a thickened tip extends. Two subspecies are distinguished, both restricted to different parts of the Western Cape province of South Africa. The creeping V. obtusata subsp. obtusata, also known as the Montagu vexator flowers from September to December, and the upright V. obtusata subsp. albomontana, also known as the Witteberg vexator, that has flowers between August and November.

<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 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 burchellii</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

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

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.

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

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.

References

  1. Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L. (2020). "Protea roupelliae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T113215172A185591283. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T113215172A185591283.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. "Spoon-bract Sugarbushes". www.proteaatlas.org.za. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Spoon-bract Sugarbushes". Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  4. Weston, Peter H.; Barker, Nigel P. (2006). "A new suprageneric classification of the Proteaceae, with an annotated checklist of genera". Telopea. 11 (3): 314–344. doi: 10.7751/telopea20065733 .
  5. Orchard, Anthony E. (ed.). "Proteaceae". Flora of Australia, Volume 16: Elaeagnaceae, Proteaceae 1. Melbourne: Australian Biological Resources Study / CSIRO Publishing. Archived from the original on 2006-10-31. Retrieved 2011-08-12.{{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  6. Johnson, David & Sally (2008). Wildlife Gardening in Southern Africa. Africa Geographic (Pty) Ltd. p. 36. ISBN   978-0-620-42523-0.