''Spatalla longifolia'', the pink-stalked spoon, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 ...

''. It forms a 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 ...

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 is found in the Hottentots-Holland Mountains; from Franschhoek and Villiersdorp to the Kleinmond Mountains. The shrub grows erect and 1 m tall and flowers from August to November. The plant dies after a fire but the seeds survive. The plant is bisexual and is pollinated by 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 rocky slopes in sandstone soil at elevations of 300 - 915 m.

References

longifolia Fynbos Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces {{SouthAfrica-stub