Protea vogtsiae

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Protea vogtsiae
Protea vogtsiae 106202532.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. vogtsiae
Binomial name
Protea vogtsiae

Protea vogtsiae, also known as the Kouga sugarbush, [3] [4] [5] is a small flowering shrub of the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, [3] [4] [5] which is only found growing in the wild in the southern Cape Region of South Africa. [3] [6]

Contents

It was named after Marie Vogts. In the Afrikaans language it has been given the vernacular name of Marie-se-roossuikerbos.[ citation needed ]

Taxonomy

Protea vogtsiae was first collected flowering in August 1972 at 1,067 metres elevation on the lower southern slopes of the Saptoukop mountain in the Kouga range near the town of Willowmore by the South African botanist John Patrick Rourke. [7] Rourke subsequently described it as a species new to science in an article in the Journal of South African Botany published in 1974. [2] An isotype of Rourke's original collection (#1396) is housed in the herbarium at the Kew Botanical Gardens. [7]

Classification

P. vogtsiae was classified in section Crinitae by Tony Rebelo in 1995, what he calls the "eastern ground sugarbushes", along with P. foliosa, P. intonsa and P. montana. [8]

Description

This species grows in the form of a low, dwarf shrublet only 25 centimetres (9.8 in) in height. It has subterranean stems (rhizomes), these have a characteristically scaled bark. [7] [8] The stems form loose tufts of leaves 20–50 centimetres (7.9–19.7 in) across. [5] [7] It has glaucous blue leaves forming a rosette, which blooms at ground level. [4] The leaves are 12–25 centimetres (4.7–9.8 in) in length and 8–30 mm in width. [8] The inflorescences are specialised structures called pseudanthia, also known simply as flower heads, containing hundred of reduced flowers, called florets. [9] The involucral bracts are coloured dull carmine, flushed with green. [7] It is monoecious, with both sexes occurring in each floret. [5]

Similar species

Protea vogtsiae is similar to P. intonsa in section Crinitae, both being dwarf shrubs with subterranean stems, but has broader leaves more similar to those of P. foliosa, which is a much larger shrub with numerous erect-growing branches and with much broader, rounder and shorter leaves. [8]

Distribution

It is endemic to South Africa, where it is found in the mountain ranges straddling the southern border of Western and Eastern Cape provinces: [3] the Outeniqua and Kouga mountains as well as the Baviaanskloof. [5] It occurs on the Saptoukop [7] and Hoopsberg in the Kouga Mountains. [4] Different populations are small and isolated from each other, [5] but nonetheless where it locally occurs it is common. [7]

Ecology

The plant grows exclusively in a fynbos habitat in the wild, [3] where it is found on steep, rocky, south-facing slopes. [5] It grows in substrates derived from sandstone. [3] [5] It is found at altitudes of 1,000 to 1,500 metres. [5] It grows wedged between Table Mountain Sandstone boulders. [7]

The mature plants are killed by the wildfires which periodically pass through its habitat, but the seeds can survive such an event. [5]

It blooms in spring, [4] from August to November. The flowers are pollinated by rodents. [5] In 1977 the botanists Delbert Wiens and John Patrick Rourke first proposed this pollination method in certain Protea species. [9] After they mature, the seeds stored in the old, dry infructescences, are persistently retained on the branches of the plant. When, after two years or so, the seeds are finally released, they are dispersed by means of the wind. [5]

Conservation

The conservation status of Protea vogtsiae was first assessed in 1980 as 'indeterminate'. [3] In 1991 the distribution was believed to be restricted to a relatively small area, and Jan Vlok from Cape Nature Conservation stated that most of its habitat had been destroyed by agriculture. He refrained from assigning it a conservation status, however, as he suspected there might be more extant populations than the several he knew of. [10] In 1996 the South African National Botanical Institute, later the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), assessed the conservation status of the species as 'not threatened' for the Red list of southern African plants, [3] nonetheless it was considered rare in 1998. [5] In 2009 SANBI re-assessed the species as 'least concern', a position they reiterated in the 2019 assessment. The total population numbers are believed to be stable as of 2019. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Protea</i> Genus of South African flowering plants

Protea is a genus of South African flowering plants, also called sugarbushes. It is the type genus of the Proteaceae family.

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

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.

<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 species of flowering plant in 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 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 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 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 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 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.

<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 vogtsiae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T113221570A185583897. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T113221570A185583897.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Protea vogtsiae". International Plant Names Index . The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L. (14 June 2019). "Kouga Sugarbush". Red List of South African Plants. version 2020.1. South African National Biodiversity Institute . Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Protea vogtsiae (Kouga sugarbush)". Biodiversity Explorer. Iziko - Museums of South Africa. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Eastern Ground Sugarbushes - Proteas". Protea Atlas Project Website. 11 March 1998. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  6. ↑ "Protea vogtsiae Rourke". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Specimen Details K000423669". Kew Herbarium Catalogue. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Peter, Craig I.; Dold, A. P.; Melidonis, Caitlin A.; Abraham, Susan (2017). "Protea foliosa" (PDF). Flowering Plants of Africa . 65: 42–48. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  9. 1 2 Wiens, Delbert; Rourke, John Patrick; Casper, Brenda B.; Eric A., Rickart; Lapine, Timothy R.; C. Jeanne, Peterson; Channing, Alan (1983). "Nonflying Mammal Pollination of Southern African Proteas: A Non-Coevolved System". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 70 (1): 1–31. doi:10.2307/2399006. JSTOR   2399006 . Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  10. ↑ Vlok, Jan (June 1991). "Unrecognized rare species from the southern Cape". Protea Atlas Newsletter. Vol. 11. De Rust: South African National Botanical Institute. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 12 September 2020.


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