''Paranomus'' is a
genus of 18
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of
flowering plants, commonly known as "sceptres", in the
protea
''Protea'' () is a genus of South African flowering plants, also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: ''suikerbos'').
Etymology
The genus ''Protea'' was named in 1735 by Carl Linnaeus, possibly after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his form ...
family. It is
endemic to the
Cape Floristic Region of
South Africa.
Distribution and habitat
The species occur mainly in mountainous areas of the
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
and
Eastern Cape provinces from the
Cederberg
The Cederberg mountains are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam cedar (''Widdringtonia wallichii''), which is a tree en ...
to
Uitenhage, with the highest numbers found in the districts of
Caledon,
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
and
Swellendam
Swellendam is the fifth oldest town in South Africa (after Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Simon's Town, and Paarl), a town with 17,537 inhabitants situated in the Western Cape province. The town has over 50 provincial heritage sites, most of them b ...
. They are often associated with
fynbos habitats.
[
]
Etymology
The genus was named by English botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
Richard Anthony Salisbury from its unusual leaves, from the Greek ''para'' ("illegal" or "contrary"), and ''nomos'' ("custom" or "law"). It was subsequently renamed ''Nivenia'' by rival botanist Robert Brown to honour plant collector James Niven, but Salisbury's name has priority. They are commonly known as “sceptres” or “sceptre plants” for the shape of their inflorescences and after the first of the genus to be described, ''P. sceptrum-gustavianus'' – “King Gustav's sceptre”, in 1777.
Description
All species are shrubs, though some can grow quite large; for example ''P. tomentosus'' may become, at up to high, a small tree. Like the closely related serruria
''Serruria'', or spiderhead is a genus of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, endemic to South Africa.
Names
''Serruria'' was named in honor of Joseph Serrurier, a professor of botany at the Utrecht University early in the eighteent ...
s they have divided leaves, though a distinctive feature of the genus is that individual plants of some species can bear both normal leaves and ones that are only minimally or even undivided. Other strange features of the leaves are that they do not have distinct upper and lower surfaces and their venation is primitive. The flowerheads are spike-like inflorescences in which the flowers are grouped into fours, with each group of four carried beneath a leathery bract. The shell-like bracts remain on the plant for a year or longer, well after the seeds have dropped off.[ The plants are not serotinous. They do not resprout after fires but regenerate from seeds which are shed soon after flowering.
]
Species
Described species include:Paranomus bracteolaris
''Paranomus bracteolaris'', the smooth-leaf tree sceptre or Bokkeveld sceptre, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus '' Paranomus'' and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape and Northern Cape
The N ...
'' Salisb. ex Knight – Smooth-leaf tree sceptre
* '' Paranomus candicans'' Kuntze – Powder sceptre
* '' Paranomus capitatus'' Kuntze – Fine-leaf sceptre
* '' Paranomus centaureoides'' Levyns – Ladismith sceptre
* '' Paranomus dispersus'' Levyns – Long-head sceptre
* '' Paranomus dregei'' Kuntze – Scented sceptre
* '' Paranomus esterhuyseniae'' Levyns – Kouga sceptre
* '' Paranomus lagopus'' Salisb. – Rabbit-paw sceptre
* '' Paranomus longicaulis'' Salisb. ex Knight – Woolly sceptre or exploding baked apple
* '' Paranomus reflexus'' N.E. Br. – Van Staden's sceptre
* '' Paranomus roodebergensis'' (Compton) Levyns – Honey-scented sceptre
* '' Paranomus sceptrum-gustavianus'' Hyl. – King Gustav's sceptre
* '' Paranomus spathulatus'' Kuntze – Langeberg sceptre
* '' Paranomus spicatus'' Kuntze – Kogelberg sceptre
* '' Paranomus tomentosus'' N.E. Br. – Hairy-leaf sceptre
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q9055467
Proteaceae genera
Flora of the Cape Provinces