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Ld burchellii - another Jonaskop "endemic" - from Keeromsberg!
On 16 May 1992 I set off from the farm Keerom (3319DA) NE of Worcester,
planning to spend a night on the high plateau at 1800 m. From the farm I walked
NW up a densely vegetated south-facing slope, quickly leaving behind the
renosterveld in the valley. Large stands of Laurel-leaf Protea Pr laur dominated
the sandstone areas above 780ÿm where Hex River Spiderheads Se dodi and
Clasping-leaf Protea Pr ampl were common shrubs and groundcovers. By this stage
I was beginning to notice a small, single-stemmed Conebush with large dark-green
leaves with which I was not familiar. At first I thought it must be Spicy
Conebush Ld tinc, but it was not at all bushy and the involucral leaves were
almost covering the flower heads. The Droopy Conebush Ld cord could be easily
discounted as there was no characteristic bend in the upper part of the
flowering branches to make the heads nod, while the Tradouw Conebush Ld trad
differs by being taller, having smaller cones, and narrower and yellower leaves.
The plants appeared to be frequent over a large area of mature veld, but were
not particularly noticeable as the plants usually stood less than 1.2 m tall.
The plants were not yet in flower, but large cones with basally hairy bracts
indicated that they were adult Sunconebushes. Much new growth was evident.
This record is thus an interesting range extension of Leucdendron burchellii, Riviersonderend Conebush, previously known only from a small area on the northern slopes of Jonaskop in the Riviersonderend range, some 50 km SSE of the Keeromsberg. The two populations are thus separated by the Breede River Valley, but are found at the same altitude (ca 900 m). Where else might this attractive species be hiding? What other reminders of our insufficient knowledge have the mountains of the south western Cape got in store for intrepid Protea Atlassers. Nick Helme, Kalk Bay
Although John Rourke confirmed the above plants as Pr burc, the identification is based on non-flowering material. Ratification of this extension will require that flowering material be collected for a voucher specimen to be housed in a local herbarium. If you intend visiting the Keerom Mountains in spring (August) please contact us and we will arrange a collecting permit.
Eds
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