Tetraria thermalis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Cyperaceae |
Genus: | Tetraria |
Species: | T. thermalis |
Binomial name | |
Tetraria thermalis (L.) C.B.Clarke | |
Synonyms | |
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Tetraria thermalis (L.) C.B.Clarke, the bergpalmiet, is a South African perennial in the family Cyperaceae. The species is endemic to the Western Cape, from the Cape Peninsula to Nature's Valley, growing on sandy soils and sandstone slopes [1] There are some 50 species of Tetraria in Africa and Australasia, of which about 38 occur in the Cape fynbos. Tetraria, currently, is polyphyletic and in need of taxonomic revision. [2] [3] [4]
This is a pioneer plant which recovers rapidly after fire, aiding the regrowth of other species. It reaches some 2,5 m in height, is trigonous with wiry, drooping yellow-green leaves that are narrowly sword-shaped and keeled. They have scabrid leaf margins armed with minute teeth pointing to the leaf apex. [5] The flowering stems are erect and triangular in cross-section, standing well above the leaves. Nutlets are small and trigonous, often crowned by a persistent style, and are consumed by the Chacma baboon.
Prionium serratum, the palmiet, is a robust, evergreen, semiaquatic, rhizomatous flowering plant growing to 2 m in height. It is the only species in the genus Prionium, and is endemic to South Africa. Some authors have separated Prionium from the Thurniaceae, putting it instead in its own family, the Prioniaceae.
Tetraria is a genus of flowering plants in the sedge family, Cyperaceae, native to Tanzania, South Africa, Borneo, Australia and New Zealand.
Schoenus compar is a species of sedge endemic to southern South Africa.
Schoenus arenicola is a species of sedge endemic to the south-west coast of South Africa.
Schoenus pictus is a species of sedge endemic to the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is a species usually found on mountain slopes.
Schoenus pseudoloreus is a species of sedge endemic to the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces of South Africa. Its range also reaches the western border of the Eastern Cape Province.
Schoenus megacarpus is a species of sedge endemic to the south-central region of South Africa.
Schoenus filiculmis is a species of sedge endemic to the western mountains of the Western Cape and Northern Cape Provinces of South Africa.
Schoenus auritus is a species of sedge endemic to southern and eastern South Africa.
Schoenus bolusii is a species of sedge endemic to the mountains of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. However, S. bolusii is not found on the Cape Peninsula.
Schoenus submarginalis is a species of sedge endemic to the mountains of the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa.
Schoenus crassiculmis is a species of sedge endemic to the mountains of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Few collections of this species have also been made from western areas of the Eastern Cape Province.
Schoenus limosus is a species of sedge endemic to the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa. It is predominately a species of wet grasslands, which explains its common name.
Schoenus purpurascens is a species of sedge endemic to the mountains of the southwestern part of the Western Cape Province of South Africa, with its distribution centered around the Caledon area.
Schoenus triticoides is a species of sedge endemic to the mountains of southern South Africa.
Schoenus compactus is a species of sedge endemic to south-western South Africa.
Schoenus crassus is a species of sedge endemic to south-western South Africa.
Schoenus riparius is a species of sedge endemic to the Cape Peninsula of South Africa.
Schoenus aureus is a species of sedge endemic to the western mountains of the Western Cape Provinces of South Africa.
Schoenus cuspidatus is a species of sedge endemic to the Cape region of South Africa where it is found in the provinces of Western Cape and Eastern Cape.