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Scientific Name | Leucadendron burchellii I.Williams |
Higher Classification | Dicotyledons |
Family | PROTEACEAE |
Common Names | Riviersonderend Conebush (e) |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Vulnerable D2 |
Assessment Date | 2020/05/19 |
Assessor(s) | A.G. Rebelo, H. Mtshali & L. von Staden |
Justification | Leucadendron burchelli is known from 2-3 locations, and is potentially threatened by too frequent fires, spread of alien invasive species, habitat loss to expanding protea orchards, and hybridization and genetic contamination by closely related taxa planted near wild subpopulations. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | Western Cape |
Range | Leucadendron burchellii is endemic to Riviersonderend Mountains in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | North Sonderend Sandstone Fynbos |
Description | It occurs on stony north-facing slopes in sandstone fynbos, 500-1200 m. Mature individuals are killed by fires, and only seeds survive. Seeds are released after ripening, and collected by rodents and stored in underground caches, where they are protected from fires. It is dioecious, with insect-pollinated male and female flowers occurring on separate plants. |
Threats |
| A small percentage of this species' habitat was lost between 1990 and 2014 to protea orchard.
All of its habitat is formally protected in Skuilkrans Private Nature Reserve and Riviersonderend Nature Reserve managed by CapeNature, the local conservation authority. Alien invasive plants have been observed in low densities in the northern slopes of Riviersonderend mountain. If these are not controlled, they are likely to increase in density and eventually outcompete native species.
As a reseeder, Leucadendron burchellii is potentially vulnerable to too frequent fires. Local extinctions can occur if fires repeatedly kill individuals before they reach reproductive maturity. It is difficult to define the number of locations, as it occurs more or less continuously over a 60 km stretch of mountainous terrain in Riviersonderend. It is unlikely that a single fire will impact the entire population of this species, and that the entire population will burn repeatedly.
Other potential threats include hybridization and genetic contamination by closely related taxa planted near wild populations. |
Population |
This species is rare, currently known from two discrete dense subpopulations. The population is not currently suspected to be declining, but may do so in the future if alien invasive plants are allowed to continue to spread within its habitat.
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Population trend | Stable |
Conservation |
| It is conserved at Riviersonderend Nature Reserve and Skuilkrans Private Nature Reserve. |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Leucadendron burchellii I.Williams | NT D2 | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Leucadendron burchellii I.Williams | Not Threatened | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | | Leucadendron burchellii I.Williams | Indeterminate | Hall et al. (1980) | |
Bibliography |
Goldblatt, P. and Manning, J.C. 2000. Cape Plants: A conspectus of the Cape Flora of South Africa. Strelitzia 9. National Botanical Institute, Cape Town.
Hall, A.V., De Winter, M., De Winter, B. and Van Oosterhout, S.A.M. 1980. Threatened plants of southern Africa. South African National Scienctific Programmes Report 45. CSIR, Pretoria.
Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
Manning, J.C. and Goldblatt, P. 2012. Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 1: The Core Cape Flora. Strelitzia 29. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Rebelo, T. 2001. Sasol Proteas: A field guide to the proteas of southern Africa. (2nd ed.). Fernwood Press, Vlaeberg, Cape Town.
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Citation |
| Rebelo, A.G., Mtshali, H. & von Staden, L. 2020. Leucadendron burchellii I.Williams. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2024/12/07 |
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