''Aristea cantharophila'' is a plant species

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to a small region of

Western Cape Province The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, Southeast of

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. Type locality is in the

Hottentots Holland Mountains The Hottentots Holland Mountains are part of the Cape Fold Belt in the Western Cape, South Africa. The mountain range forms a barrier between the Cape Town metropolitan area and the southern Overberg coast. The range is primarily composed of Ta ...

near

Sir Lowry's Pass Sir Lowry's Pass is a mountain pass on the N2 national road in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It crosses the Hottentots Holland Mountains between Somerset West and the Elgin valley, on the main route between Cape Town and the Gar ...

. The species is facing serious threats and has been slated for conservation efforts. ''Aristea cantharophila'' is a perennial herb up to 30 cm high, forming tussocks up to 12 cm in diameter. Leaves are mostly basal, very thin and sword-like, gladiolate (= folded so that one edge points toward the stem). Flowers are pale purple to white with a dark purple center.photo of isotype of ''Aristea cantharophila'' at Missouri Botanical Garden
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References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15557330 Iridaceae Flora of the Cape Provinces Taxa named by Peter Goldblatt Taxa named by John Charles Manning