''Spatalla thyrsiflora'', the swan-neck spoon, is a flowering shrub that belongs 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 ...
'' and 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
endemic to the
Western Cape of
South Africa where it occurs in the Du Toitskloofberge, Louwshoekberg and in the Swartberg at Caledon.
The shrub spreads to 1.5 m in diameter and flowers from August to December. The shrub sprouts again after it has burned. The plant is bisexual and pollination takes place through the action of insects. Two months after the plant has flowered, the fruit ripens and the seeds fall to the ground where they are spread by ants. The plant grows in sandstone and granite soil at elevations of 900 – 1500 m.
References
Sources
REDLIST SanbiProtea Atlas, bl 74Plants of the World Online
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15585597
thyrsiflora
Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces
Fynbos