Rarities from Burchells missing years

This project was inspired by "Rarities from Burchell's missing years" - Veld & Flora 36-41 by Roger Stewart & Marion Whitehead 2023.
But some errors need to be fixed.
The article details a few species from Burchells return journey through to the Karoo, to the mouth of the Great Fish River, and back to Cape Town via the coastal plateau.

  • Outeniqua Pincushion. Note that hybrids in cultivation in the cut-flower industry wont save this Endangered species. It must be conserved in situ.
  • Erica ixanthera. Unlike many of the other species, this is not a high altitude species, but can be seen at Korinte River waterfalls on the Sleeping Beauty Trail.
  • Langeberg Conebush. - although the cause of the observed population declines is attributed to too-frequent fires, there is no direct evidence that this is the case: other slow growing Proteaceae species are coping just fine with the fire cycle. The cause of this species decline over the past decades is unknown. A proper fire-cycle study is required.
  • Tufted Gonna. This species is found in the Riviersonderend Moutains at Jonaskop and Stettynsberg, with an outlier on Towerkop (Swartberg). I cannot find any records from the Langeberg. Burchell collected it at Genadendal (mountain tops of Baviaanskloof near Genadendal - Burchell 7761), not Swellendam. Burchell labelled it Passerina tetragona, but it was never published
  • Phylica burchellii is only known from Burchell's type, recorded in 1815. According to the Red List the localty is " at an unspecified locality in the Riviersonderend Mountains west of Genadendal.", but the illustration in this article clearly states that it is from Kowi, Rietfontein and the type specimen says "about 9 miles west of Genadendal". There is a farm Rietfontein at Floriskraal Hoogte (on the Caledeon-Villiersdorp road) 15 miles W of Genadendal. A putative specimen has been noted at Houwhoek Pass (see iNat), but this may well be Phylica gracilis.
  • King Spiderhead - what Burchell called Bosjeveld is still called "Bossiesveldberg", and is Fynbos and Renosterveld: respectable Proteaceae do not grow in Renosterveld, and the King Spiderhead is no exception. Burchell's specimen was sterile: Ion Williams rediscovered it and alerted John Rourk to its presence, which allowed Burchell''s flowerless one to be identified.

Burchells Beauties (in the article, but not illustrated): see them here:

Publicado el abril 1, 2023 10:00 TARDE por tonyrebelo tonyrebelo

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