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Afrikaanse Inligting
Another new Spiderhead: the Star Spiderhead Serruria stellata from Riviersonderend
At the end of last year John Rourke described another Serruria from
the section Phylecoideae. This section is distinguished by having species
with solitary heads on a conspicuous stalk and straight florets. The new species
is one of the creeping species and thus might perhaps at a glance be confused
with Se cygnea, effusa, and incrassata - however all these belong
to the section Acrocarpae with curved florets. In fact, with its straight
florets, it is most closely related to the Graceful Spiderhead Se pinnata
(in which John includes Se gracilis). Together these are the only two
species in the section Phylecoideae which creep along the ground.
The Serruria stellata - Star Spiderhead may readily be distinguished by its conspicuous involucral bracts which open up before the florets to give a star-like appearence. Apart from the hairy margins, the involucral bracts are hairless. In addition, it lacks the four hypogynous glands which secrete nectar, suggesting that pollinators must visit it for pollen, being guided by a faint sweet scent. It does not have a rootstock and is killed by fire. Flowering occurs from September to November.
Even though the species only occurs over a small distribution range of 15 km from Wolfieskop (above Villiersdorp) to Jonaskop (the highest peak in the western Riviersonderend Mountains), it is quite variable in habit - in the west it forms dense mats whereas in the east it consists of merely a few trailing stems.
Jonaskop has not yet yielded up all its surprises. John Rourke is currently trying to work out the identity of a Spiderhead which looks like Se incrassata Silver-Paw Spiderhead (from the Granite slopes around the Malmesbury flats), but which it definitely is not. In addition, there is another Serruria awaiting description (Se amoena Stately Spiderbush in PAN 9 and Vogts p 59) and another one for which John has only just obtained a specimen! Good luck John.
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