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Home Home » GENERA I-L » Leucospermum » Leucospermum muirii
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Leucospermum muirii

Leucospermum muirii
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  • Leucospermum grandiflorum spreading styles
  • Leucospermum grandiflorum stem-leaves
  • Leucospermum grandiflorum stem-tip leaves
  • Leucospermum heterophyllum
  • Leucospermum heterophyllum leaves
  • Leucospermum hybrid
  • Leucospermum hypophyllocarpodendron subsp. hypophyllocarpodendron
  • Leucospermum hypophyllocarpodendron subsp. hypophyllocarpodendron leaves
  • Leucospermum muirii
  • Leucospermum muirii leaves
  • Leucospermum oleifolium
  • Leucospermum oleifolium
  • Leucospermum oleifolium flowerheads
  • Leucospermum patersonii
  • Leucospermum prostratum
  • Leucospermum prostratum leaves
  • Leucospermum reflexum var. luteum

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Description

Leucospermum muirii, the Albertinia pincushion or bloukoolhout (blue cabbage wood) in Afrikaans, is an erect, rounded shrub, growing to 1,5 m in height. This is a single-stemmed, reseeder that does not resprout after veld fires.

The plant forms part of the Tumiditubus or wide-tubed section of the Leucospermum genus, characterised by erect or spreading, single-stemmed plants bearing flowerheads with conical bases.

The flowerheads at stem-tips are yellow, turning orange as they mature. L. muirii flowers from mid-winter to spring. The plant resembles L. truncatum, but the flowers are less hairy and the leaves narrower. 

The nut-like seeds are produced a couple of months after flowering. Seed dispersal is performed by ants that feed on non-vital parts of the fruits. Later the ants may again remove the leftovers, the seeds from their nests. The still intact seeds germinate from winter rain on the ants’ refuse dumps.

As the common name suggests, the species distribution is limited to the flat area near Albertinia, its range extending towards the coast near Still Bay.

The plants may occur in dense stands in deep, sandy, limestone soil. It is considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century, due to habitat degradation and destruction from farming, road verge clearing and other human activities (Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Eliovson, 1973; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi,org).

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1085
Photographer
Thabo Maphisa
Author
Ivan Latti
 
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