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Ls mundii and Ls winteri

When flowering it is impossible to mistake these two species – the Langeberg Pincushion Ls mund has flat heads, with straight styles and threadlike pollen presenters. The Riversdale Pincushion Ls wint has rounded heads with curved styles topped with a rounded pollen presenter. However, when not in flower (but flowerheads can usually be found on the ground in veld older than 4 years) both species have broad leaves with lots of teeth. Ls mund has very variable leaves, being narrow and grey-haired in the east and wide, green and hairless in the west – sufficiently different at the opposite ends of its distribution range to be separate species, but varying continuously in populations in between (or is it – if there is a strong cut-off point then subspecies should be recognized – please investigate in the area east of Barrydale). It is the eastern form that is being confused with Ls wint. The leaves of the two species overlap in size and shape, and have the same number of teeth! Although John Rourke states that this may be the ancestral form between the Louse and Flat Pincushions, I prefer an alternative theory, viz. that this species arose from hybridization between Ls mund and Ls call (in fact, John regarded specimens of Ls wint as this hybrid in his 1972 revision). Other hybrids between the two sections have also been recorded.

Can atlassers please visit the Crystal Pool hiking trail (east of Garcias Pass) and carefully record which species occurs where. It appears that the Langeberg Pincushion occurs to the neck above the kloof to Kruis R, but east of the neck (21^o16’E to 21^o19’E) total confusion reigns in our data. Only the Riversdale Pincushion occurs east of this area - or does it? A range extension of Ls mund (Frequent clumped) also needs a herbarium specimen from "Wagenboomberg off Witblits Trail E-side ridge" (33^o56.40’S 21^o32.37’E 700m, 0.4km ENE Peak 754m). Please investigate. See Atlas Data Requiring Verification.

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