''Spatalla colorata'', the shiny spoon, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus ''

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

'' 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 ...

Province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, where it occurs from the Riviersonderend Mountains to central Langeberg. The shrub grows upright and grows only 80 cm tall and flowers from July to November. The plant dies after a fire but the seeds survive. The plant is bisexual and pollination takes place through the action of insects. Two months after the plant has flowered, the ripe seeds fall to the ground where they are spread by ants. The plant grows on cool, southern slopes at elevations of 900 – 1400 m.

References

* http://redlist.sanbi.org/species.php?species=805-8 * http://biodiversityexplorer.info/plants/proteaceae/spatalla_colorata.htm * https://www.proteaatlas.org.za/spoon.htm * https://www.proteaatlas.org.za/PROTEA_ATLAS_main_part2.pdf bl. 80 colorata Plants described in 1856 Fynbos Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces {{Proteaceae-stub