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The Hanging-Spoon - Spatalla tulbaghensis
Read this story and then have a look at the Spatalla tulbaghensis slide show.
I am in the process of trying to atlas all the species I have not yet atlassed, before April 2000. This demanded that the Shaggy-hair Spoon Sp tulbaghensis be located. I found out from Tony where the plant had been seen:- in the Witzenberg Valley at De Vlakte. The species had only once before been atlassed, so I was unsure as to what I would find. Would it be a population of 100 plants as SASOL Proteas suggests, or would it have succumbed? In 1991 the population was down to 50 plants. In 2000 …?
The site is easy to find and I was soon atlassing Ld salignum. To my delight I found Ld chamelaea, which, although not surprising, was unexpected. This record filled in a gap for the distribution of this Conebush. A number of Ld chamelaea plants had broken branches, which could have been caused by wind or animals.
I was soon to find a much-branched, low shrub with needle leaves. "That’s it" said I to myself, and I gleefully recorded Sp tulbaghensis in my pink notebook. I found 12 live plants and 3 dead ones. They were in bud and most plants looked reasonably happy, although 2 or 3 were a bit stressed. The plants, which like a moist habitat, were growing near to a stream. The stream - feeding a nearby dam - had been deepened to 1 m to form a trench. As a result, the water table has been lowered and the Spatalla habitat is in the process of drying out! Worse still, a number of plants growing at the top lip of the trench are about to fall into it. One Spatalla had a few small, recently broken off branches lying on the ground around it.
There was a herd of cattle in the immediate vicinity of the plants and I was soon to find positive proof of their presence in the form of cow pats on the plants. There were signs of paths and stomped reeds and grass.
I took a number of photographs demonstrating the status of this site and these have been forwarded to Cape Nature who will be contacting the relevant farmer.
And why the ‘Hanging-spoon’? This is because the plants are hanging in by a thread - just clinging to life! In addition, there are a number of plants hanging over the edge of the trench, perilously close to falling in.
Have a look at the illustrated Spatalla tulbaghensis slide show.
Nigel Forshaw, Oakridge
Just to confirm! Your plot is 350m N of Stephen Richardson’s, which is the population known to Nature Conservation. This is thus a new locality. You probably missed the plants at the original site as the veld is only 2-years old and the Spatalla plants (only 100 mm high) are in very early bud.
You caused Cape Nature Conservation some embarrassment as they have just spoken with the farmer at the original site and got all sorts of concessions from him, based on this being the only place in the world where Sp tulbaghensis still occurs (according to John Rourke it used to be common all over the Witzenberg Vlakte on sandy soils only 30 years ago). The original veld is in very good condition, even though it is being grazed. However, dumping of onions [as cattle feed] and fruit tree branches (which may spread diseases into the water system) will have to be contained. Now CNC have to go and tell his neighbour as well. The new site is easier to conserve, as it is smaller and more discrete (easily camped off), even though it is virtually trashed by overgrazing.
Interestingly, the plants from the original site are more than 100 m away from where they were previously recorded 10-years ago at a fence line. The new plants, about 40 - all in a 5 m diam. clump, are on a drainage scar - suggesting that like Sp tenu they like the erosion! But we obviously don’t understand the seed ecology of these rare species: just how long do seeds live for?; for how many fire cycles can they just "opt out"?; what causes them to stay dormant?; how do they hop between suitable microhabitats?; etc.!
Tony Rebelo
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