About Spatalla ericoides E.Phillips
Spatalla ericoides, commonly known as the Erica-leaved spoon, is a flowering shrub. It is a member of the genus Spatalla, and forms part of the fynbos vegetation. This species is endemic to the Western Cape of South Africa, where it occurs on the Agulhas Plain near Pearly Beach, Hagelkraal and Klein Hagelkraal. The shrub is flat and rounded in shape, growing to only 80 cm tall, and flowers from August to September. The entire plant dies after a fire, but its seeds survive. Individuals are bisexual, and pollination occurs via insect activity. Two months after flowering, ripe seeds fall to the ground, and are then spread by ants. The species grows in limestone sand at elevations between 10 and 250 m.
