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Afrikaanse Inligting
Bottlebrush Spiderhead Fleskwasspinnekopbos - Serruria brownii
The Bottlebrush Spiderhead is Endangered with extinction. It used to occur in what is now the vineyards and wheat fields of the Malmesbury district. Today it is confined to a few remnants. And in every single remnant that it is known from it is threatened by alien invader plants! The Spiderheads are often not recognised as members of the Protea Family. They are characterised by their divided leaves and small flowerheads. The most famous Spiderhead is the Blushing Bride, which only occurs near Franschhoek, but there are 50 other species. Spiderheads are a diverse group, and the Mamre area has a high diversity of species - 9 have been recorded! Like all the other proteas from the flats, most of them are threatened with by alien invader plants and agriculture. We need to set aside land to protect our plants. Unless we do it now, it will be too late. Fortunately, biocontrol agents have been released to help control the alien Wattles, but the threat they pose to our flora should not be under-rated. You can help! Help to set land aside for conservation. Help to control aliens in our nature reserves. Help to rescue plants from areas being developed. Join the Protea Atlas Project!