Serruria stellata
Species of flowering plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Serruria stellata, the star 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, South Africa.
| Serruria stellata | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Serruria |
| Species: | S. stellata |
| Binomial name | |
| Serruria stellata Rourke | |
Description
The shrub is small with creeping stems and grows only 20 cm (7.9 in) tall and flowers from September to November. 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 unisexual and pollinated by insects.
In Afrikaans, it is known as sterspinnekopbos.
Distribution and habitat
The plant occurs from the Stettyns Mountains to the western Riviersonderend Mountains. It grows in sandstone sand at elevations of 900–1,200 m (3,000–3,900 ft).
