''Spatalla nubicola'', the Medusa 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 ...
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 is found in the central
Langeberg
The Langeberg Range is a mountain range in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its highest peak is Keeromsberg at 2,072 m that lies 15 km northeast of the town of Worcester. Some of the highest peaks of the range are located just ...
near the town of
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
.
The shrub (rounded or erect) grows up to 1.5 m tall and flowers from September to December. 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 the upper, southern slopes in peaty soil at 1600 m.
References
External links
* http://redlist.sanbi.org/species.php?species=805-19
* http://biodiversityexplorer.info/plants/proteaceae/spatalla_nubicola.htm
* https://www.proteaatlas.org.za/spoon.htm
* https://www.proteaatlas.org.za/PROTEA_ATLAS_main_part2.pdf bl. 82
nubicola
Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces
Fynbos
{{Proteaceae-stub