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Our new Species


Palmiet River Sceptre - Paranomus nova – Discovered by Peter Ross on 29 September 1991 at Arieskraal. Further research showed a specimen of this collected by Stokoe in the 1940’s as Serruria unknown in the Compton Herbarium. It is confined to a small area about 5 km long. We have 28 records of this species.

Laingsburg Conebush - Leucadendron osbornei – First atlassed by Alan Martin on 4 February 1993 as Ld teretifolium, it was David Osborne’s insistence that this was a new species (from his Feb. 1994 visits) that led to this species being described. It is now known to be widespread from Anysberg to the Gouritz River. Even then it was being picked by farmers in the Laingsburg area as "Mini-comosum" or Astol. We have 137 records – 48 from David himself.

McGregor Pincushion - Leucospermum harpagonatum – Discovered by Tony Rebelo and Fiona Powrie on 12 August 1993 at Olifantsdoorns in the Riviersonderend Mountains. It is still known only from single population covering an area about 1.5 km long. Due to access problems (with a new landowner) we have only 7 records of this species.

Serruria lacunosa – This was discovered by Betsie Schlebusch on her farm Sewefontein in the Matzikamma mountains. Ivor Jardine visited her on 13 April 1994 and procured a specimen. Some confusion was originally caused by our having named the Gifberg form of Se millefolia as Se ‘matzikamma.’ (This form of Se mill remains unresolved). Se lacunosa is found only on the Matzikammaberg itself in several small populations. We have 30 records of this species.

Oily Conebush - Leucadendron crassulaefolium was known from the Kwadouwsberg for many years but was thought to be Ld arcuatum - it was atlassed as this by Stephen Richardson on 8 August 1993. On 24 May 1995 large populations of a single stemmed form found at Sonkliprug by Tony Rebelo resulted in this being ‘separated’ from Ld arcuatum - it is a large tree, single stemmed and can survive fire through a thick protective bark on the trunk (unlike Ld arcuatum). We have 40 records of this species.

Toffeeapple Conebush - 'Leucadendron touwsrivierenses' – The first records for this species were on 17/18 May 1997 (AGR, ANY, LYM, NGF, PMR) on an outing organized by the Anysberg Conservation Club of Touwsriver High School. This is a a member of the Ld tinctum / Ld pubibracteolatum complex. It has been found from Droelandkloof (Baviaansberg) to Konstabel where it is locally the most common Conebush – we have some 87 records. Some herbarium and alas records of Ld tinctum from Hex River and Bokkeriver may be of this species.

Clandestine Spiderhead - Serruria rebeloi – Discovered by Tony Rebelo on 29 July 1998 on the farm belonging to Thys de Villiers of Boskloof in the Bredasdorp Mountains. We have 17 records from Salmonsdam to the Fairfield-Sandy’sGlen pass. Doug Euston Brown appears to have found it east of the pass – please investigate (3419BC – F127 Loskop).

Climax Conebush - Leucadendron 'climacticum' – Discovered by Tony Rebelo on 21 March 2001 on the north slopes of Olifantsberg, Riviersonderend Mountains.


Other taxa awaiting description:

Serruria furcellata-not. Se furcellata from the Cape Flats has not been atlassed – it is probably extinct apart from two plants at the University of the Western Cape nursery. However, at Ontongskop a Skirted Spiderhead was atlassed on 30 May 1993 by Gerard Hansford as Se linearis. It is a low resprouter, which - in the field - looks nothing like Se furcellata. We have 27 records of this species - all from south of the Nuwekloof Pass.

Se piketbergensis is a resprouting form of Se decipiens atlassed on 19/20 August 1995 by Tony Rebelo and Peter Ross at Banghoek in the Piketberg. We have 35 records of this species from Piketberg to Leipoldtville.

Langeberg Sceptre - Paranomus spathulatus gamkaensis – a distinct taxon with many features of Pa roodebergensis, but with bracts approaching Pa longicaulis. It was discovered with Mi chrysanthus – well before the PAP began. It remains undescribed - its typification is complicated by a leaf size that overlaps with a form of Pa spathulatus from Wilber Smith’s farm in the Langeberg. We have 24 records of this species.

(Thanks to Nigel Forshaw for compiling much of this data).

Tony Rebelo


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