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Serruria fasciflora
Also called Fasciated Serruria
Serruria fasciflora or common pin spiderhead is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae. It is a sprawling to upright shrublet of 40 cm to 1 m (11⁄3–31⁄3 ft) high and about 1⁄2 m (12⁄3 ft) wide. It has finely divided, upward curving leaves with thread-thin segments and clusters of sweetly scented heads, each consisting of five to seven silvery pink flowers, that may be found year-round, but mostly from May to December. It is a rather widespread and common species, that is restricted to the south of the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Serruria fasciflora is widespread across flats and mountainous areas from the West Coast, as far north as Hopefield and south to the Cape Peninsula, to the Outeniqua Mountains in the east. On the Cape Peninsula it is common on the lower slopes and sands of Muizenberg. It has an extremely variable habitat, and occurs between sea level and 600 m (2000 ft) elevation. It can cope with windy, hot and dry summers and cool wet winters, but does not tolerate frosts. Serruria fasciflora is specifically adapted for pollination by flies, as they have a very sweet scent. The common pin spiderhead survives the regular wildfires in fynbos through its seeds. The fruits fall to the ground about two months after flowering. These have a fleshy covering (or elaiosome) that secretes a pheromone and attracts ants. Native ants collect the fruits and carry these to their underground nests. Here the elaiosomes are eaten and the seeds remain underground until they germinate when conditions are favourable.
Common Rootstock Spiderhead · Kleinmond Spiderhead · Strawberry Spiderhead · Marshmallow Spiderhead · Stately Spiderhead · Acorn Spiderhead · Agulhas Spiderhead · Bottlebrush Spiderhead · Shiny Spiderhead · Lost Spiderhead · Wavy Spiderhead · Wynberg Spiderhead
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Serruria fasciflora by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
