About Serruria effusa Rourke
Serruria effusa, commonly known as the candelabra spiderhead, is a flowering shrub in the genus Serruria that is part of the fynbos vegetation. This species is endemic to the Western Cape of South Africa, where it occurs in the Olifants River Mountains and the Cederberg. It is an upright shrub that grows up to 1.5 m tall and reaches 1.5 m in diameter. It produces flowers from August to September. While fire kills the entire plant, its seeds are able to survive fire events. Two months after flowering finishes, the fruit drops, and ants disperse the seeds by storing them in their nests. Serruria effusa is a bisexual species, and pollination is carried out by insects. It grows at altitudes between 100 m and 750 m. The species was first recorded by Schlechter in September 1894 at Alexandershoek in the Olifantsrivierberge, and it has historically been confused with the related species Serruria cygnea.
