Ladismith Sceptre

Taxonomy
Scientific Name
Paranomus centaureoides Levyns
Higher Classification
Dicotyledons
Family
PROTEACEAE
Common Names
Ladismith Sceptre (e)
National Status
Status and Criteria
Least Concern
Assessment Date
2020/08/26
Assessor(s)
A.G. Rebelo, H. Mtshali & D. Raimondo
Justification
Paranomus centaureoides has a restricted range, with an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 387 km² and an area of occupancy (AOO) of 240 km². While the entire population occurs in formally protected areas and is currently stable, alien invasive plants are present in low density in parts of its range. With declining resources to manage protected areas, the spread of invasive alien plant species poses a significant future potential threat to this species. It is therefore listed as Least Concern.
Distribution
Endemism
South African endemic
Provincial distribution
Western Cape
Range
This species is endemic to the Klein Swartberg in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, occurring between Ladismith and Seweweekspoort.
Habitat and Ecology
Major system
Terrestrial
Major habitats
Swartberg Altimontane Sandstone Fynbos, South Swartberg Sandstone Fynbos, North Swartberg Sandstone Fynbos
Description
It grows in sandstone fynbos, on dry upper slopes, at 1000-2000 m. Mature individuals are killed by fires, and only seeds survive. Seeds are released after ripening, and dispersed by ants to their underground nests, where they are protected from predation and fire. It is pollinated by insects.
Threats
Climate-change models predicted a population reduction of up to 30% by 2025 (Bomhard et al. 2005), but such drastic population reductions have not yet occurred. A small percentage of this species' habitat has been lost to crop fields in the past. All of its remaining habitat is formally protected, but only one of the three areas is managed by CapeNature, the local conservation authority. Alien invasive plants have been observed in low densities at three of these areas. If these are not controlled, they are likely to increase in density and eventually outcompete native species. Field observations also noted too frequent fire as a potential threat for subpopulations occurring near fire breaks in Towerkop. As a reseeder, P. centaureoides is potentially vulnerable to local extinction if fires occur repeatedly before plants reach reproductive maturity.
Population

This species occurs in isolated patches of a few plants, with a total population size of between 1500 and 5000 mature individuals, extrapolated from protea atlas survey monitoring data collected between 1992 and 2002. The population is stable, but could decline in future if low densities of alien invasive plants currently present in its habitat are not controlled.


Population trend
Stable
Conservation
It is protected in the Buffelspoort and Towerkop Nature Reserves.
Assessment History
Taxon assessed
Status and Criteria
Citation/Red List version
Paranomus centaureoides LevynsNT A3c+4cRaimondo et al. (2009)
Paranomus centaureoides LevynsRare Hilton-Taylor (1996)
Paranomus centaureoides LevynsIndeterminate Hall et al. (1980)
Bibliography

Bomhard, B., Richardson, D.M., Donaldson, J.S., Hughes, G.O., Midgley, G.F., Raimondo, D.C., Rebelo, A.G., Rouget, M. and Thuiller, W. 2005. Potential impacts of future land use and climate change on the Red List status of the Proteaceae in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. Global Change Biology 11(9):1452-1468.


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.


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. Pincushions and allies. Protea Atlas Project: Interim distribution map: Cape edition 3 2:1-37.


Rebelo, T. 2001. Sasol Proteas: A field guide to the proteas of southern Africa. (2nd ed.). Fernwood Press, Vlaeberg, Cape Town.


Vlok, J. and Schutte-Vlok, A.L. 2010. Plants of the Klein Karoo. Umdaus Press, Hatfield.


Citation
Rebelo, A.G., Mtshali, H. & Raimondo, D. 2020. Paranomus centaureoides Levyns. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2024/12/07

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Distribution map

© J.H. Vlok/A.L. Schutte-Vlok


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