''Spatalla'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

containing 20

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 ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

s, commonly known as "spoons", in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Proteaceae. The genus is

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 els ...

to the Cape Floristic Region of

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 count ...

where it is associated with fynbos habitats. The species are all small shrubs. The name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, meaning “wantonness”, alluding to the plants’ unusually large

pollen-presenter A pollen-presenter is an area on the tip of the style in flowers of plants of the family Proteaceae on which the anthers release their pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced ...

s. Most species are

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

Species

Described species are listed below, with their conservation status: * '' Spatalla argentea'' Rourke – Silver-leaf spoon – EN * '' Spatalla barbigera'' Salisb. ex Knight – Fine-leaf spoon – NT * '' Spatalla caudata'' (Thunb.) R.Br. – Woolly-hair spoon – EN * ''

Spatalla colorata ''Spatalla colorata'', the shiny spoon, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus ''Spatalla'' and forms part of the fynbos Fynbos (; meaning fine plants) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in t ...

Meisn. Carl Daniel Friedrich Meissner (1 November 1800 – 2 May 1874) was a Swiss botanist. Biography Born in Bern, Switzerland on 1 November 1800, he was christened Meisner but later changed the spelling of his name to Meissner. For most of his ...

– Shiny spoon – EN * '' Spatalla confusa'' (E.Phillips) Rourke – Long-tube spoon – LC * '' Spatalla curvifolia'' Salisb. ex Knight – White-stalked spoon – NT * '' Spatalla ericoides'' E.Phillips – Erica-leaf spoon – EN * '' Spatalla incurva'' (Thunb.) R.Br. – Swan-head spoon – LC * '' Spatalla longifolia'' Salisb. ex Knight – Pink-stalked spoon – NT * '' Spatalla mollis'' R.Br. – Woolly spoon – Rare * '' Spatalla nubicola'' Rourke – Medusa spoon – NT * '' Spatalla parilis'' Salisb. ex Knight – Spike spoon – LC * '' Spatalla prolifera'' (Thunb.) Salisb. ex Knight – Palmiet spoon – EN * '' Spatalla propinqua'' R.Br. – Lax spoon – EN * '' Spatalla racemosa'' (L.) Druce – Lax-stalked spoon – NT * '' Spatalla salsoloides'' (R.Br.) Rourke – Kink-style spoon – CR * '' Spatalla setacea'' (R.Br.) Rourke – Needle-leaf spoon – LC * '' Spatalla squamata'' Meisn. – Silky spoon – NT * ''

Spatalla thyrsiflora ''Spatalla thyrsiflora'', the swan-neck spoon, is a flowering shrub that belongs to the genus ''Spatalla'' and forms part of the fynbos Fynbos (; meaning fine plants) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located i ...

'' Salisb. ex Knight – Swan-neck spoon – VU * '' Spatalla tulbaghensis'' (E.Phillips) Rourke – Shaggy-hair spoon – EN

Gallery

Spatalla confusa vBerkel2.jpg, Spatalla propinqua 1DS-II 3-8370.jpg, Spatalla longifolia Rebelo 2.jpg, Spatalla curvifolia 1DS-II 1-C4337.jpg, Spatalla parilis Rebelo 1.jpg, Spatalla racemosa 1DS-II 1-9440.jpg,

References

Proteaceae genera Endemic flora of South Africa Flora of the Cape Provinces {{Proteaceae-stub