Paranomus candicans

Paranomus candicans
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Proteales
Family:	Proteaceae
Genus:	Paranomus
Species:	P. candicans
Binomial name
Paranomus candicans (Thunb.) Kuntze
Synonyms
Serruria albicans Paranomus mollissimus Nivenia candicans Roem. & Schult. R.Br. (R.Br.) Kuntze Protea candicans Paranomus argenteus Thunb. Roem. & Schult. Nivenia mollissima Knight (R.Br.) Poir. Protea mollissima

Paranomus candicans, the powder sceptre, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Paranomus and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape, South Africa.

Description

The shrub grows up to 2 m (6.6 ft) tall and flowers mainly from June to November. Fire destroys the plant but the seeds survive. The plant is bisexual and pollinated by insects. The fruit ripens, two months after flowering, and the seeds fall to the ground where they are spread by ants.

In Afrikaans, it is known as poeiersepter.

Distribution and habitat

The plant occurs in the Hex River Mountains up to the Langeberg. The plant grows in sandstone soil at altitudes of 600–2,000 m (2,000–6,600 ft).

External links

• "Threatened Species Programme | SANBI Red List of South African Plants". redlist.sanbi.org. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
• "Paranomus candicans (Powder sceptre)". biodiversityexplorer.info. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
• "Common Sceptres". proteaatlas.org.za. Retrieved 6 January 2022.