''Spatalla parilis'', the spike spoon, is a flowering

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

belonging to the genus ''

Spatalla ''Spatalla'' is a genus containing 20 species of flowering plants, commonly known as "spoons", in the family Proteaceae. The genus is endemic to the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa where it is associated with fynbos habitats. The species a ...

''. It forms part of the

fynbos Fynbos (; meaning fine plants) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean clim ...

. The plant is native to the

Western Cape 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 southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Description

The shrub grows upright and grows tall and flowers from September to December. The plant dies after a fire but the seeds survive. The plant is

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

and pollinated by insects. Two months after the plant has flowered, the ripe seeds fall to the ground where they are spread by ants. Spatalla parilis vBerkel 4

Distribution and habitat

The plant occurs 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 ...

to the

Riviersonderend Mountains The Riviersonderend Mountains are a mountain range in the Cape Fold Belt of the Western Cape province of South Africa. They run east to west from Riviersonderend to Villiersdorp, separating the Breede River Valley from the Overberg region. They ...

and on top of the

Langeberg The Langeberg Range is a mountain range in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its highest peak is Keeromsberg at 2,075 m that lies 15 km northeast of the town of Worcester. Some of the highest peaks of the range are located just to ...

Garcia's Pass The Garcia's Pass is a mountain pass across the Langeberg in the Western Cape province of South Africa, with its highest point at altitude. The regional road numbered R323 uses this pass on its leg between Riversdale in the south and Ladismi ...

. The plant grows on cool, southern slopes at altitudes of .

Gallery

Spatalla parilis Rebelo 1.jpg Spatalla parilis Rebelo 3.jpg Spatalla parilis vBerkel 3.jpg Spatalla parilis vBerkel 5.jpg

References

External links

Threatened Species Programme , SANBI Red List of South African PlantsSpatalla parilis Salisb. ex Kn. 1809.
bl. 84 parilis Flora of the Cape Provinces {{Proteaceae-stub