''Diastella parilis'', the Worcester silkypuff, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus ''

Diastella ''Diastella'' is a genus containing seven species of flowering plants, commonly known as “silkypuffs”, in the protea family. The name comes from the Greek ''diastellein'' “to separate”, with reference to the free perianth lobes – the pl ...

'' and forms part of the

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

. The plant is native to the

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

and occurs in the

Breede River Valley Breede River Valley is a region of Western Cape Province, South Africa known for being the largest fruit and wine producing valley in the Western Cape, as well as South Africa's leading race-horse breeding area. It is part of the Boland borderin ...

from the Elandskloof to the Slanghoek Mountains. The shrub is erect and grows 70 cm tall and bears flowers from July to January. Fire destroys the plant but the seeds survive. Two months after flowering, the fruit falls off and ants disperse the seeds. They store the seeds in their nests. The plant is unisexual. Pollination takes place through the action of insects. The plant grows on the foothills in sandstone soil at heights of 250–500 m.

References

* * * * parilis Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces {{Proteaceae-stub