''Spatalla setacea'', the needle-leaf 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
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
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 occurs from Slanghoek to the Hottentots-Hollandberge.
The shrub grows upright and reaches a height of only 1.0 m and flowers from October 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 in peaty soil on a southern slope at elevations of 900 – 1250 m.
References
Sources
REDLIST SanbiProtea Atlas, bl. 90Plants of the World Online
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15585383
setacea
Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces
Fynbos