SERRURIA ELONGATA

Family: Proteaceae
Common names: Long-stalk Spiderhead (Eng.); Langsteelspinnekopbos (Afr.)

DESCRIPTION

Elegant, perfumed, classy and drop-dead beautiful, Serruria elongata is a stunner when encountered while hiking in the fynbos.

From a distance, the flower heads look like spiky pom-poms. They are pink and covered in short, silvery hairs, giving them the appearance of having been lightly frosted.

The leaves are tightly grouped in pseudo-whorls around the base of the peduncle.

DISTRIBUTION & HABITAT

The Long-stalk Spiderhead is a localised species. It prefers sandstone soils and stony, well-drained slopes in full sun.

What a delight it is to come across these beautiful plants in the Kogelberg Mountains and on the mountains around Rooiels.

DERIVATION OF NAME & HISTORICAL ASPECTS

The genus Serruria is named after Dr James Serrurier, a botanist at Utrecht in the early 18th century.

Some species have fine hairs that look as though a spider has spun a web around the flower head. This may be the reason for the Afrikaans name spinnekopbos, literally “spider bush”.

ECOLOGY – ALIEN ANTS IN THE PANTS

The sweet fragrance of Serruria elongata intensifies at night, and it is believed that the flowers are pollinated by moths.

Native Black Pugnacious Ants carry the seeds underground, where they remain protected and dormant until the next fire, followed by rain and the rejuvenation of the fynbos.

Unfortunately, alien ants are throwing a spanner in the ecological works. They do not transport the seeds underground in the same way as the native ants, leaving the seeds more exposed to rodents, birds and fire.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Fynbos populations are vulnerable to the impacts of alien plants and development. Serruria elongata faces additional threats from too-frequent fires and naturalised Argentine ants.

Click to find out more on Inaturalist