About Serruria candicans R.Br.
Serruria candicans, commonly known as the shiny spiderhead, is a flowering shrub that is part of the genus Serruria and a member of the fynbos vegetation group. The species is native to the Western Cape of South Africa, where its distribution ranges from Elandskloof to the Slanghoek Mountains, and also includes Paardeberg near Malmesbury. This erect shrub only grows to 80 cm in height, and produces flowers from July to December. While fire will kill the mature plant, its seeds are able to survive fire events. The fruit drops off two months after flowering finishes, and ants disperse the seeds by storing them in their nests. Serruria candicans is unisexual, and pollination is carried out by insects. It grows in mountain fynbos and renosterveld habitats, at elevations between 60 and 700 metres.
