Lax Spoon

Taxonomy
Scientific Name
Spatalla propinqua R.Br.
Higher Classification
Dicotyledons
Family
PROTEACEAE
Synonyms
Spatallopsis propinqua (R.Br.) E.Phillips
Common Names
Lax Spoon (e)
National Status
Status and Criteria
Vulnerable C2a(i)
Assessment Date
2020/04/20
Assessor(s)
A.G. Rebelo, H. Mtshali & L. von Staden
Justification
Spatalla propinqua occurs as isolated patches and more than 50% of subpopulations are small with fewer than 250 mature individuals. No subpopulation has over 1000 mature individuals. It has a small population of 966-5836 plants. The population is declining due to increasing competition from alien invasive plants and habitat degradation outside of protected areas. It is therefore assessed as Vulnerable under criterion C.
Distribution
Endemism
South African endemic
Provincial distribution
Western Cape
Range
This species is endemic to the mountains of the Western Cape Province in South Africa, where it occurs from Slanghoek to the Riviersonderend Mountains.
Habitat and Ecology
Major system
Terrestrial
Major habitats
South Sonderend Sandstone Fynbos, North Sonderend Sandstone Fynbos, Hawequas Sandstone Fynbos, Breede Alluvium Fynbos
Description
It occurs in bottomland wetlands on sandstone fynbos. 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
A small proportion (8%) of this species' habitat is irreversibly modified due to vineyards, mainly in the lower slopes of Slanghoek mountain, and loss continues, with 1% loss recorded between 1990 and 2014. Climate change and habitat loss modelling predicted that this species could decline by at least 50% by 2025 (Bomhard et al. 2005), but such drastic population reductions have not yet occurred. Ongoing monitoring is needed, particularly as droughts in the Western Cape increase pressure on groundwater resources, on which this bottomland wetland species is dependent. As a reseeder, this species is however potentially vulnerable to inappropriate fire management, particularly increases in fire frequency associated with climate change-related droughts. Recent field observations noted alien invasive plants present in the habitat of several subpopulations, particularly the southern slopes of the Riviersonderend. These could outcompete native species in future if left unmanaged.
Population

This species occurs over an 87 km long range in the Riviersonderend and Stettynsberg mountains. It is still widespread and occurs at many localities. This species is found mainly on the hills adjacent the Bot River, with outliers at Steenbras Dam and Groenlandberg. It is mainly the lowland subpopulations that have been impacted. More than 50% of the subpopulations are small and isolated, each consisting of fewer than 200 mature individuals. No subpopulation has more than 1000 mature individuals, and the current population size is 966-5836. Although most of the subpopulations are in protected areas there is ongoing decline taking place due to habitat degradation by alien invasive plants particularly on the southern slopes of Riviersonderend Mountains.


Population trend
Decreasing
Conservation
It is found in Mont Rochelle, Theewaters, and Greyton nature reserves.
Assessment History
Taxon assessed
Status and Criteria
Citation/Red List version
Spatalla propinqua R.Br.EN A3c+4cRaimondo et al. (2009)
Spatalla propinqua R.Br.Rare Hilton-Taylor (1996)
Spatalla propinqua R.Br.Indeterminate 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. Sasol Proteas: A field guide to the proteas of southern Africa. (2nd ed.). Fernwood Press, Vlaeberg, Cape Town.


Citation
Rebelo, A.G., Mtshali, H. & von Staden, L. 2020. Spatalla propinqua R.Br. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2024/12/07

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Distribution map


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