Protea convexa

Protea convexa, also known as large-leaf sugarbush,[1][3][4] is a rare flowering shrub endemic to the Cape Region of South Africa.[1][5]

Large-leaf sugarbush
Critically Endangered (CE) (SANBI)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Protea
Species:
P. convexa
Binomial name
Protea convexa

It was first described as a new species by Edwin Percy Phillips in 1910.[2][6]

This is flat, prostrate shrub. It is monoecious, both sexes occur in each flower. The seeds are stored in capsules, themselves stored in the dried old inflorescence. The seeds are released one to two years after flowering, and are spread by wind.[4]

Phillips found it to be most similar to Protea acaulos.[6]

It is specifically found in the Witteberg, Elandsberg, and Klein Swartberg mountain ranges.[4]

The plant grows on the northern slopes of dry ravines at altitudes of 1,100 to 1,500 metres.[7] Its flowers bloom from August to November, with the peak in October. Pollination occurs through the visits of rats, mice and birds.[4]

It was already rare in the 1990s.[4] As of 2006 it is thought to be 'critically endangered'. The plant is mostly thought to be threatened by the expansion of rooibos tea farms in its habitat, as well as the effects of climate change. It is susceptible to drought, plants can die in such circumstances.[1]

References
  1. Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L. (10 November 2006). "Large-leaf Sugarbush". Red List of South African Plants. version 2020.1. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  2. "Protea convexa". International Plant Names Index. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  3. "Protea convexa (Large-leaf sugarbush)". Biodiversity Explorer. Iziko - Museums of South Africa. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  4. "Western Ground Sugarbushes - Proteas". Protea Atlas Project Website. 11 March 1998. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  5. "Protea convexa E.Phillips". Plants of the World Online. Kew Science. 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  6. Phillips, Edwin Percy (1910). "Diagnoses Africanae: XXXVII". Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, Royal Gardens, Kew (in Latin). 1910 (7): 235, 236. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  7. "Protea convexa in Global Plants on JSTOR". plants.jstor.org. Retrieved 2020-07-19.


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