Serruria villosa

Serruria villosa, the golden spiderhead, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Serruria and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape, where it occurs only on the Cape Peninsula and just south of Constantia. The shrub is erect and grows only 50 cm tall and bears flowers from April to July.

Serruria villosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Serruria
Species:
S. villosa
Binomial name
Serruria villosa
(Lam.) R.Br.
Synonyms[2]
  • Protea villosa Lam.
  • Serruria vallaris Knight

Fire destroys the plant but the seeds survive. Two months after flowering, the fruit falls off and ants disperse the seeds. They store the seeds in their nests. The plant is bisexual. Pollination takes place through the action of insects. The plant grows in sandy soil at elevations of 0-350 m.

In Afrikaans it is known as gouespinnekopbos.[3]

References
  1. Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L. (2020). "Serruria villosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2020: e.T157994254A185557762. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T157994254A185557762.en.
  2. "Serruria villosa". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  3. "Serruria villosa | PlantZAfrica". pza.sanbi.org.
  4. "Threatened Species Programme | SANBI Red List of South African Plants". redlist.sanbi.org.
  5. "Stalkless Spiderheads". www.proteaatlas.org.za.
  6. "Serruria villosa (Golden spiderhead)". biodiversityexplorer.info.
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