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96-522: Leucospermum commonly known as pincushions , is a genus of evergreen upright, sometimes creeping shrubs that is assigned to the Proteaceae , with currently 48 known species. The shrubs mostly have a single stem at their base, but some species sprout from an underground rootstock , from which the plant can regrow after fire has killed the above ground biomass. In a larger group of species, specimens are killed by fire, and their survival depends on

192-505: A revision containing nine species now included in Leucospermum , including Protea heterophylla and P. tomentosa (now L. heterophyllum and L. tomentosum ). Further species were added by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck : Protea vestita 1792 (now L. vestitum ), Thunberg: P. prostrata in 1794 (now L. prostratum ), Henry Cranke Andrews : Protea formosa 1798 (now L. formosum ), and P. candicans in 1803 (now Leucospermum rodolentum )

288-557: A species : see Botanical name and Specific name (zoology) . The rules for the scientific names of organisms are laid down in the nomenclature codes , which allow each species a single unique name that, for animals (including protists ), plants (also including algae and fungi ) and prokaryotes ( bacteria and archaea ), is Latin and binomial in form; this contrasts with common or vernacular names , which are non-standardized, can be non-unique, and typically also vary by country and language of usage. Except for viruses ,

384-544: A conical or wide-conical common base of the flowers within one head. The base of lowest, fully fused part of the flower (called tube) is narrow and gets wider towards the upper end. The earliest known description from a species we now include in the genus Leucospermum was by Paul Hermann in Paradisus Batavus , a book describing the plants of the Hortus Botanicus Leiden (botanical garden of

480-435: A copious amount of nectar. The indehiscent fruit consists of one cavity, containing one oval to globe-shaped seed of 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long, with a broad indent where it was attached, hairless or covered with a fine powder and generally partially covered by a pale elaiosome . The sixteen Leucospermum species that have been analysed are all diploids having twelve sets of homologue chromosomes (2n=24), which

576-530: A curve towards the center of the flower head, 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) in diameter, often narrower nearer to the tip or thread-shaped, mostly identically colored as the perianth. The end of the style is (sometimes only slightly) thickened and holds the pollen that is transferred there just before the bud rips open. There is a considerable morphological variation in this so-called pollen presenter between species. The pollen presenter may be cylindric, oval, or conic in shape, either or not split in two lobes near

672-435: A draft he had been studying of a paper called On the natural order of plants called Proteaceae that Robert Brown was to publish in 1810. Brown however, called the genus Leucospermum , distinguished eighteen species and made the new combinations Leucospermum lineare and L. spathulatum . Salisbury's names were ignored by botanists in favour of those that Brown had created, and this was formalised in 1900 when Leucospermum

768-437: A few other countries. L. conocarpodendron , L. cordifolia , L. lineare , L. patersonii and L. vestitum and a range of hybrids supply cut flowers . Genus The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomists . The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including

864-479: A few species, a very short filament is present that further down cannot be distinguished from the tepals anymore. While still in the bud, the pollen is transferred from the anthers to the pollen-presenter, a thickening at the tip of the style . At that stage, the style grows considerably and rips through the sutures between the two perianth lobes facing away from the centre of the flower head. The perianth lobes all four remain attached to each other, or with three, or

960-628: A few square km. In the Cape , most Leucospermum species grow on acid soils that result from the weathering of Table Mountain Sandstone . More to the east a few species occur on eroded Witteberg quartzite, which is also very poor in nutrients. L. arenarium , L. fulgens , L. hypophyllocarpodendron , L. muirii , L. parile , L. praecox , L. rodolentum and L. tomentosum can only be encountered on deep white sands. A few other species like L. grandiflorum , L. guenzii and L. lineare can be found on

1056-459: A flower head lengthwise in two equal halves. The individual flowers are subtended by a bract (or bracteole ) that is wooly at its foot and softly hairy or hairless near the tip. Sometimes it grows on while the flower is in bloom and eventually becomes woody. While still in the bud, the perianth is a tube of 1½–5½ cm (0.6–2.2 in) long. When flowering, the perianth is yellow, orange, crimson, pink or white in color, straight or often curved towards

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1152-519: A later homonym of P. candicans Thunb. 1800 (now Paranomus candicans ), and in The Paradisus Londinensis by botanical illustrator William Hooker and botanist Richard Anthony Salisbury : Leucadendrum grandiflorum in 1808 (now Leucospermum grandiflorum ). Joseph Knight published a book in 1809 titled On the cultivation of the plants belonging to the natural order of Proteeae , that contained an extensive revision of

1248-651: A later homonym of a validly published name is a nomen illegitimum or nom. illeg. ; for a full list refer to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants and the work cited above by Hawksworth, 2010. In place of the "valid taxon" in zoology, the nearest equivalent in botany is " correct name " or "current name" which can, again, differ or change with alternative taxonomic treatments or new information that results in previously accepted genera being combined or split. Prokaryote and virus codes of nomenclature also exist which serve as

1344-628: A long time and redescribed as new by a range of subsequent workers, or if a range of genera previously considered separate taxa have subsequently been consolidated into one. For example, the World Register of Marine Species presently lists 8 genus-level synonyms for the sperm whale genus Physeter Linnaeus, 1758, and 13 for the bivalve genus Pecten O.F. Müller, 1776. Within the same kingdom, one generic name can apply to one genus only. However, many names have been assigned (usually unintentionally) to two or more different genera. For example,

1440-430: A narrowly conical pollen presenter with a pointy tip. The bracts that subtend the flower heads are pointed and may have a hooked tip. The four species assigned to the section Crassicaudex are sometimes called cylindric pincushions . These four all have a cylinder-shaped common base of the flowers in the same head. All are upright shrubs with several main stems that rise up from a woody rootstock underground. This makes

1536-694: A rather thin bark. One year after the fire however, many seedlings have occurred. All specimens within the area covered by the most recent fire, are therefore of the same age. After three to four years, these plants begin to flower and produce seeds, that do not yet germinate, but remain in the soil seed bank , until they get activated during the aftermath of a fire. Specimens belonging to these species are subject to biological aging (or senescence), and lose their vitality. The maximum life expectancy differs between twenty-five to thirty years in smaller species like L. truncatulum and L. oleifolia , to fifty to eighty years in L. praemorsum . For this group of species, fire

1632-409: A reference for designating currently accepted genus names as opposed to others which may be either reduced to synonymy, or, in the case of prokaryotes, relegated to a status of "names without standing in prokaryotic nomenclature". An available (zoological) or validly published (botanical) name that has been historically applied to a genus but is not regarded as the accepted (current/valid) name for

1728-415: A rootstock in the ground. This is an important character in distinguishing between some species. Dried specimens of L. pedunculatum and L. prostratum can be difficult to distinguish, but although both are prostrate species, the growth habits in the field differ considerably. In L. pedunculatum many horizontally spreading branches develop from an about 30 cm (12 in) main stem, in L. prostratum

1824-436: A small groove at the very tip of the style opens. In most Leucospermum species, plants are entirely infertile to their own pollen . Even a small amount of pollen of other specimens of the same species results in the development of the seed. The flowerheads are also visited by many small insects that are unlikely to pollinate Leucospermum , but the birds eat insects in addition to nectar. The birds' nesting season coincides with

1920-417: A style uniquely pointing downwards when the flower is open. The three species and one subspecies of the section Conocarpodendron are sometimes called tree pincushions . They are all small trees of up to 4 m (13 ft) high with a single trunk. The common base of the flowers in the same head is conical or narrowly conical with a pointy tip. The styles are 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in) long that carries

2016-494: A subspecies amoenum , L. obtusum including a subspecies albomontanum , as well as L. secundiflorum . In 1984, he erected a new genus Vexatorella to which he moved these taxa, with the exception of L. secundiflorum , that he included in the section Diastelloidea . The name of the genus Leucospermum is compounded from the Greek words λευκός (leukos) meaning white, and σπέρμα (sperma) meaning seed, so "white seed", which

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2112-427: A taxon; however, the names published in suppressed works are made unavailable via the relevant Opinion dealing with the work in question. In botany, similar concepts exist but with different labels. The botanical equivalent of zoology's "available name" is a validly published name . An invalidly published name is a nomen invalidum or nom. inval. ; a rejected name is a nomen rejiciendum or nom. rej. ;

2208-455: A total of c. 520,000 published names (including synonyms) as at end 2019, increasing at some 2,500 published generic names per year. "Official" registers of taxon names at all ranks, including genera, exist for a few groups only such as viruses and prokaryotes, while for others there are compendia with no "official" standing such as Index Fungorum for fungi, Index Nominum Algarum and AlgaeBase for algae, Index Nominum Genericorum and

2304-463: A well-developed involucre consisting of 25–35 bracts (subtending the flower head as a whole), eight to rarely twelve flowers per head, the perianth tubes densely wooly in the upper part. The species assigned to the section Leucospermum are sometimes called sandveld pincushions . Among it are both upright, spreading and creeping shrubs, and leaf-shapes vary from line- to egg- and wedge-shaped, but they all have felty hairy leaves, even when aged. The bud

2400-506: Is a prerequisite to rejuvenate and so maintain the population. If the fires occur as frequent as every two or three year however, the soil seed bank gets depleted because no new seeds are added, and the species may locally disappear. A number of large species ( L. conocarpodendron , L. heterophyllum , L. patersonii , L. pedunculatum , L. profugum and L. royenifolium ) have thick bark, which allows them to survive fires if these are not too intense, and so stretch their lifespan regularly beyond

2496-546: Is a reference to the pale elaiosome surrounding the seeds. Species within the genus are commonly known as pincushions. Comparison of homologous DNA has increased the insight in the phylogenetic relationships between the Proteaceae. Leucospermum belongs to a group that further only consists of genera endemic to the Cape Floristic Region , that together constitute the subtribe Leucadendrinae. Leucospermum

2592-456: Is an upright shrub with two distinct populations, one with leaves 10 – 85 mm wide that have 7 - 17 teeth at their tip, flowers pale yellow aging to orange. The species of the section Diastelloidea are sometimes called louse pincushions . They may be upright, spreading or creeping shrubs, that usually have sharply pointed leaves without teeth at the tip. The flowerheads are small and globe-shaped, mostly with two to six together very close to

2688-422: Is consistent with the rest of the subtribe Proteinae. Leucospermum differs from genera such as Protea , Leucadendron , Mimetes , Diastella , Paranomus , Serruria , and Orothamnus by having the flower heads in the axils of the leaves (although often very near the tip of the branch), small and inconspicuous bracts subtending the head, brightly coloured styles that are straight or curve toward

2784-612: Is discouraged by both the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants , there are some five thousand such names in use in more than one kingdom. For instance, A list of generic homonyms (with their authorities), including both available (validly published) and selected unavailable names, has been compiled by the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG). The type genus forms

2880-553: Is divided into nine groups called sections . These are Brevifilamentum , Cardinistyle , Conocarpodendron , Crassicaudex , Crinitae (synonym Diastella Meisn. non (Salisb.) Endl. ), Diastelloidea , Hamatum , Leucospermum (synonym Hypophylloidea ) and Timiditubus . The following taxa are assigned to the respective sections. In the field, sometimes few specimens are observed that are suspected to be interspecific hybrids, with characters that are intermediate between two clearly separate species. Wherever hybrids are observed in

2976-1688: Is estimated at 95% or more. The young plants of these species can be distinguished because of the profuse development of side branches very low on the primary stem. There are 48 species, two of which having two subspecies each. Two others have two varieties each. The survival of eight is considered to be of least concern : L. calligerum , L. cuneiforme , L. oleifolium , L. pedunculatum , L. royenifolium , L. truncatum , L. utriculosum and L. wittebergensis . Twelve taxa are regarded as near-threatened : L. bolusii , L. conocarpodendron subsp. viridum , L. cordifolium , L. gerrardii , L. gracile , L. pluridens , L. reflexum (its two varieties have not been evaluated), L. spathulatum , L. tottum var. tottum , L. truncatulum , L. vestitum and L. winteri . Three species are rare: L. erubescens , L. mundii and L. secundifolium . Nine taxa are regarded as vulnerable : both subspecies of L. hypophyllocarpodendron , L. lineare , L. patersonii , L. praecox , L. praemorsum , L. prostratum , L. rodolentum and L. tomentosum . Fifteen have been categorised as endangered species : L. catharinae , L. conocarpodendron subsp. conocarpodendron , L. cordatum , L. formosum , L. glabrum , L. grandiflorum , L. gueinzii , L. hamatum , L. heterophyllum , L. innovans , L. muirii , L. parile , L. profugum , L. saxatile and L. saxosum . Finally, four taxa are thought to be critically endangered : L. arenarium , L. fulgens , L. harpagonatum and L. tottum var. glabrum . The breeding of pincushions provides an important export product in South Africa and

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3072-517: Is most related to Mimetes , which however is only monophyletic if both Diastella and Orothamnus would be included in it. A subgroup of Paranomus , Vexatorella , Sorocephalus and Spatalla is the sister group to the Leucospermum - Mimetes subgroup. The following tree represents those insights. Leucadendron Leucospermum Mimetes , Diastella and Orothamnus Vexatorella Paranomus Sorocephalus Spatalla Serruria The genus Leucospermum

3168-460: Is somewhat arbitrary. Although all species within a genus are supposed to be "similar", there are no objective criteria for grouping species into genera. There is much debate among zoologists about whether enormous, species-rich genera should be maintained, as it is extremely difficult to come up with identification keys or even character sets that distinguish all species. Hence, many taxonomists argue in favor of breaking down large genera. For instance,

3264-474: Is the type species , and the generic name is permanently associated with the type specimen of its type species. Should the specimen turn out to be assignable to another genus, the generic name linked to it becomes a junior synonym and the remaining taxa in the former genus need to be reassessed. In zoological usage, taxonomic names, including those of genera, are classified as "available" or "unavailable". Available names are those published in accordance with

3360-476: Is usually straight, always with a sweet scent and colored brightly yellow. In the open flower, the three perianth lobes at the side of the center of the flower head remain attached, while the remaining lobe is free. The pollen presenter at the tip of the style is cylindrical or club-shaped. The species assigned to the section Tumiditubus are sometimes called wide-tubed pincushions . All eight of them are erect or spreading shrubs with one main stem. All of them have

3456-717: The Chimanimani Mountain range on the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border, and the other in Namaqualand . Only L. gerrardii , L. innovans and L. saxosum occur outside the Cape Floristic District. A remarkable concentration of 30% of the species occurs in a narrow strip of about 200 km (120 mi) long on the south coast between Hermanus and Witsand . Most of the individual species have restricted distributions, some as small as

3552-621: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ; the earliest such name for any taxon (for example, a genus) should then be selected as the " valid " (i.e., current or accepted) name for the taxon in question. Consequently, there will be more available names than valid names at any point in time; which names are currently in use depending on the judgement of taxonomists in either combining taxa described under multiple names, or splitting taxa which may bring available names previously treated as synonyms back into use. "Unavailable" names in zoology comprise names that either were not published according to

3648-824: The International Plant Names Index for plants in general, and ferns through angiosperms, respectively, and Nomenclator Zoologicus and the Index to Organism Names for zoological names. Totals for both "all names" and estimates for "accepted names" as held in the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG) are broken down further in the publication by Rees et al., 2020 cited above. The accepted names estimates are as follows, broken down by kingdom: The cited ranges of uncertainty arise because IRMNG lists "uncertain" names (not researched therein) in addition to known "accepted" names;

3744-424: The Proteaceae attributed to Salisbury. Salisbury assigned twenty-four species to his new genus Leucadendrum , with newcomers Leucadendrum cordifolium , Leucadendrum gracile , Leucadendrum parile , Leucadendrum royenaefolium , Leucadendrum saxatile and Leucadendrum truncatulum , all of which are now included in Leucospermum with the identical species name. It is assumed that Salisbury had based his review on

3840-404: The platypus belongs to the genus Ornithorhynchus although George Shaw named it Platypus in 1799 (these two names are thus synonyms ) . However, the name Platypus had already been given to a group of ambrosia beetles by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst in 1793. A name that means two different things is a homonym . Since beetles and platypuses are both members of the kingdom Animalia,

3936-473: The French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708) is considered "the founder of the modern concept of genera". The scientific name (or the scientific epithet) of a genus is also called the generic name ; in modern style guides and science, it is always capitalised. It plays a fundamental role in binomial nomenclature , the system of naming organisms , where it is combined with the scientific name of

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4032-572: The Leyden University), that was published in 1689, three years after his death. He called it Salix conophora Africana (African cone-bearing willow), based on his observation of Leucospermum conocarpodendron on the lower slopes of the Table Mountain . In the following six decades, several other descriptions were published, such as by Leonard Plukenet , James Petiver , John Ray and Herman Boerhaave . Names published before 1753,

4128-658: The ants excrete to keep their nests in a healthy condition. In the fynbos, this so-called myrmecochory is a strategy used by many plant species to survive the fire. Invasive ants species, like in South Africa Linepithema humile (Argentine ant), destroy the nests of the indigenous ants, and eat the elaiosomes where ever the seed has fallen, so that it is not protected against fire and can easily be found and eaten by mice and birds. Periodic wildfires are an important factor in south and west South Africa. The occurrence of these fires among other things determines

4224-442: The base for higher taxonomic ranks, such as the family name Canidae ("Canids") based on Canis . However, this does not typically ascend more than one or two levels: the order to which dogs and wolves belong is Carnivora ("Carnivores"). The numbers of either accepted, or all published genus names is not known precisely; Rees et al., 2020 estimate that approximately 310,000 accepted names (valid taxa) may exist, out of

4320-409: The base, strongly curved towards the center of the head, making the head reminiscent of a grappling hook . L. hamatum has linear leaves mostly with three teeth near the tip, a poorly developed or absent involucre , but four or five very large bracts forming a pseudo-involucre subtending the four to seven flowers per head. The perianth is hairless. L. harpagonatum has entire (narrowly) linear leaves,

4416-455: The birds. Several rodents may be responsible for the pollination of species that produce their flower heads at ground level. Hairy-footed gerbils Gerbillurus paeba , and striped field mice Rhabdomys pumilio were observed to visit the flowers of L. arenarium , and both carried its pollen on forehead and breast. L. arenarium nectar is thick and is present at the tips of the perianth lobes. Here, mice can lick it off without having to damage

4512-435: The branches rise from an underground woody rootstock. The leaves are alternately set along the stem, distanced and slightly pointing towards the tip of the branch or overlapping, mostly without, sometimes with a leaf stalk but always without stipules at their base, 1½–14 cm (0.6–5.6 in) long and linear, elliptic, oblanceolate, oval, inverted egg-shaped or spade-shaped, the edge entire or with up to 17 teeth towards

4608-506: The center of the flower head and extend far from the perianth, giving the flower head the appearance of a pincushion, and large nut-like fruits covered by a pale and soft layer that attracts ants. The style breaks out of the bud at the side facing the rim of the head, and the perianth lobes may stick together with four or three forming a sheath, or roll back individually. Currently, the genus is subdivided in nine sections based on morphological communalities and differences. The six species of

4704-402: The center of the flower head. The perianth consists of four tepals that are fused into a tube of 0.3–1.0 cm (0.12–0.39 in) either of uniform width or expanding towards the tip, but there are also a few species where it is inflated nearer the tip, such as in L. utriculosum , L. hamatum and L. harpagonatum . Above the tube, three of the lobes may become fused in a sheath, open towards

4800-439: The extent of fynbos . All species that naturally occur in the fynbos have adaptations that ensure these species can survive the natural fire regime, but different species have different strategies. This is also true for the species of Leucospermum , even the few that occur outside the fynbos. A large majority of Leucospermum species is killed by fire because these have a single stem that only branches higher up, and are covered by

4896-566: The flowering season of Leucospermum and both for egg-laying and growing chicks, a large quantity of proteine is needed, where nectar provides hardly any. The Cape sugarbird seems to be present in all stands of non-creeping Leucospermum species, but the malachite sunbird Nectarinia famosa , southern double-collared sunbird Cinnyris chalybeus and orange-breasted sunbird Anthobaphes violacea are locally also important pollinators. Red-winged starling Onychognathus morio and Cape weaver Ploceus capensis are occasional visitors that damage

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4992-409: The flowers in one head (or involucral receptacle) as can be seen by cutting lengthwise through a head is very narrowly conical with a sharp tip. The pollen presenter is egg-shaped, obliquely egg-shaped or hoof-shaped. The six species that are assigned to the section Cardinistyle are sometimes called fireworks pincushions . They are all large upright shrubs, with only one main stem. The common base of

5088-424: The flowers is a narrow cone with a pointy tip. The flowers have styles of 5½–8 cm (2.2–3.2 in) long that move downward when the flowers open, and are topped by a narrow pollen presenter ending in a sharp tip. L. reflexum has oval or narrowly oval greyish, felty leaves of 2–5½ cm (0.8–2.2 in) long and ½–1⅓ cm (0.2–0.55 in) wide. The perianth is yellow or scarlet 4–5 cm (1.6–2 in) long, and

5184-486: The flowers. The nectar is produced by the scales subtending the ovary as in other Leucospermum species, but is transported by capillary ducts to the tips of the perianth. The fruits of Leucadendron have but one seed cavity , that does not open , and contains only one seed, a fruit type called nut. The fruits consist partly of a whitish, fleshy or gelatinous pericarp , a so-called elaiosome , that attracts ants because they contain chemicals that mimic pheromones . After

5280-556: The following: For Leucadendron filiamentosum , L. polifolium and L. bellidifolium , no type specimens could be found, and their descriptions are too general to determine which Leucospermum species they are synonymous with. For L. obovatum , no description has been provided, so it is a nomen nudum . Pincushions can only be found in a narrow zone from the southwestern Cape, along the Great Escarpment to eastern Transvaal and Eswatini , and two isolated areas, one in

5376-446: The form "author, year" in zoology, and "standard abbreviated author name" in botany. Thus in the examples above, the genus Canis would be cited in full as " Canis Linnaeus, 1758" (zoological usage), while Hibiscus , also first established by Linnaeus but in 1753, is simply " Hibiscus L." (botanical usage). Each genus should have a designated type , although in practice there is a backlog of older names without one. In zoology, this

5472-448: The four free lobes all curl back on themselves (like the lid of a sardine can), rimming the top of the tube. The superior ovary consists of one carpel and contains a single ovary , and is subtended by four small scales. The fruit is an oval or almost globe-shaped nut . Most species have very limited ecological ranges and distribution areas, and many are rare or endangered. The often attractive, large flower heads and evergreen foliage,

5568-506: The free perianth lobes – the plants are distinguished from the closely related and similar leucospermums by the possession of four free perianth segments. The genus is endemic to the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa where it has a very limited range and is associated with fynbos habitats. The species are all small shrubs . Most species are threatened . Described species and subspecies are listed below, with their conservation status: This Proteaceae -related article

5664-428: The fruits fall from the plant, mostly Anoplolepis ants gather them, and carry them to their nest by sinking their jaws in the fleshy elaiosome. Once in the underground nests, the elaiosome is consumed. The smooth and hard seeds that remain do not fit the ants' small jaws, and are abandoned, protected from fire and seed eaters. The survival of the seeds is further enhanced by fungicidal and anti-bacterial substances that

5760-737: The generic name (or its abbreviated form) still forms the leading portion of the scientific name, for example, Canis lupus lupus for the Eurasian wolf subspecies, or as a botanical example, Hibiscus arnottianus ssp. immaculatus . Also, as visible in the above examples, the Latinised portions of the scientific names of genera and their included species (and infraspecies, where applicable) are, by convention, written in italics . The scientific names of virus species are descriptive, not binomial in form, and may or may not incorporate an indication of their containing genus; for example,

5856-400: The generic names Lepidocarpus and Conocarpus . Four more species were described, by Linnaeus ( Protea pubera and P. totta in 1771, now L. calligerum and L. tottum ), Peter Jonas Bergius ( Leucadendron oleaefolium 1766, now Leucospermum oleifolium ) and Nicolaas Laurens Burman ( Leucadendron cuneiforme , now Leucospermum cuneiforme ), before Carl Peter Thunberg in 1781 published

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5952-712: The genus in 1891 and called it Leucadendron , a homonym of a name that had already been used by Linnaeus in 1753 for another group of Proteaceae, which have separate sexes and very large bracts. Edwin Percy Phillips newly described L. glabrum and L. muirii in 1910, Spencer Le Marchant Moore portrayed L. saxosum in 1911, while Otto Stapf added L. gerrardii in 1912. In 1912, Phillips and Otto Stapf revised Leucospermum and recognised thirty-one species. Afterwards, Phillips described L. cordatum (1923) and L. patersonii (1928). Robert Harold Compton added L. wittebergense in 1931 and L. catherinae in 1933. This

6048-405: The ground from woody tubers. This mechanism is best developed in the species of the section Crassicaudex ( L. cuneiforme , L. gerrardii , L. innovans and L. saxosum ) that mostly occur outside the fynbos, in areas with dominant summer rainfall where fires may be more frequent, but is also present in L. hypophyllocarpodendron , L. prostratum and L. tomentosum . The survival rate in this group

6144-472: The heavy clay that develops from Cape Granite . L. calligerum and L. heterophyllum sometimes grow on Malmsbury Gravel. On the other hand, L. patersonii and L. truncatum are specialists that only can be found on a ridge of limestone of the Alexandria Formation, parallel to the southern coast between Stilbaai and Danger Point . During flowering, the extended styles protrude far beyond

6240-432: The idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: Moreover, genera should be composed of phylogenetic units of the same kind as other (analogous) genera. The term "genus" comes from Latin genus , a noun form cognate with gignere ('to bear; to give birth to'). The Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus popularized its use in his 1753 Species Plantarum , but

6336-407: The interval between successive incidents. The fire survival rate in this group was estimated at 30–50 %. Since the fire destroys lower branches, regrowth only takes place from the higher branches, and the plants attain an umbrella-shape. A smaller group of Leucospermum species has a more effective method to survive fire. Above ground parts of these species die, but new shoots appear directly from

6432-633: The largest component, with 23,236 ± 5,379 accepted genus names, of which 20,845 ± 4,494 are angiosperms (superclass Angiospermae). By comparison, the 2018 annual edition of the Catalogue of Life (estimated >90% complete, for extant species in the main) contains currently 175,363 "accepted" genus names for 1,744,204 living and 59,284 extinct species, also including genus names only (no species) for some groups. The number of species in genera varies considerably among taxonomic groups. For instance, among (non-avian) reptiles , which have about 1180 genera,

6528-467: The lizard genus Anolis has been suggested to be broken down into 8 or so different genera which would bring its ~400 species to smaller, more manageable subsets. Diastella See text Diastella is a genus containing seven species of flowering plants , commonly known as “silkypuffs”, in the protea family . The name comes from the Greek diastellein “to separate”, with reference to

6624-403: The most (>300) have only 1 species, ~360 have between 2 and 4 species, 260 have 5–10 species, ~200 have 11–50 species, and only 27 genera have more than 50 species. However, some insect genera such as the bee genera Lasioglossum and Andrena have over 1000 species each. The largest flowering plant genus, Astragalus , contains over 3,000 species. Which species are assigned to a genus

6720-428: The name could not be used for both. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach published the replacement name Ornithorhynchus in 1800. However, a genus in one kingdom is allowed to bear a scientific name that is in use as a generic name (or the name of a taxon in another rank) in a kingdom that is governed by a different nomenclature code. Names with the same form but applying to different taxa are called "homonyms". Although this

6816-459: The outside of the flower head, while the lobe facing the rim of the flower head is free. In the upper part of the perianth (or limbs) all four lobes may remain fused or only the three that remained already fused in the middle part. In the section Diastelloidea all four lobes are free in the upper parts and curl back forming a four-part rim around the top of the tube. The anthers differ little between species of Leucospermum and are usually fused with

6912-566: The perianth remain erect after flowering and do not curl back as usual in other sections. The styles are thread-like and the flowers change color conspicuously when aging. L. saxatile is a creeper with 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) wide leaves and lime-green flowers. L. gracile is also a prostrate shrub with 2–5 mm wide leaves, but its flowers are yellow. L. oleifolium has leaves 10 – 85 mm wide that are mostly entire but sometimes have up to five teeth, and with flowers that are pale yellow at first but become crimson with age. L. mundii

7008-424: The perianth tube to extract the nectar, and are probably much less effective pollinators. Large monkey beetles, like Trichostetha fascicularis , T. capensis , T. albopicta , and Anisonyx ursus can for a time be feeding on Leucospermum nectar in large numbers, and do transport pollen on their long hairs. These are however only present during a few weeks each year, and likely less important pollinators than

7104-415: The perianth tube. Initially, the tip of the style carries pollen at the thickened tip, that is called pollen-presenter . The pollen is brushed on the heads and bodies of the birds, mammals and large insects that try to reach the copious and thick nectar that fills the perianth tube. In older flower heads of Leucospermum most of the pollen will have been transferred to the bodies of earlier pollinators, and

7200-541: The provisions of the ICZN Code, e.g., incorrect original or subsequent spellings, names published only in a thesis, and generic names published after 1930 with no type species indicated. According to "Glossary" section of the zoological Code, suppressed names (per published "Opinions" of the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature) remain available but cannot be used as the valid name for

7296-420: The section Brevifilamentum are sometimes called showy pincushions , and include several horticultural species. The species all share a character that is unique in the genus Leucospermum : their anthers top a short, 1–1½ mm (0.02–0.06 in) long filament that attach the anthers to the perianth, while in all other sections the anthers are directly fused with the limbs of the perianth lobes. The common base of

7392-560: The seeds. In all species, seeds are collected by ants, which take them to their underground nests to feed on their ant breads , a seed dispersal strategy known as myrmecochory . This ensures that the seeds do not burn, so new plants can grow from them. Leucospermum species mostly have seated, simple, mostly leathery, often softly hairy leaves, set in a spiral, with entire margins or more often, with 3–17 blunt teeth with thickened, bony tips, and without stipules at their foot. The flowers are organised with many together in heads with bracts on

7488-479: The species the involucral bracts have tough rubbery consistency and are usually softly hairy, overlapping and tightly pressed against the flower head. L. parile , L. tottum and L. vestitum on the other hand have thin, papery bracts. The common base of the flowers that jointly constitute a single flowerhead (called receptacle ) varies considerably among species. It may be flat, globe-shaped, pointy conical or blunt cylindric. This character can best be seen by cutting

7584-480: The species very tolerant to fire. The leaves are wedge-shaped. All three species that occur outside the Cape Floral Region are assigned to this section. The four species of the section Crinitae are sometimes called flat pincushions . They are upright or spreading shrubs. The involucral receptacle is always flat and 2–4 cm (0.79–1.57 in) in diameter with bowl-shaped flower heads. The lobes of

7680-497: The specific name particular to the wolf. A botanical example would be Hibiscus arnottianus , a particular species of the genus Hibiscus native to Hawaii. The specific name is written in lower-case and may be followed by subspecies names in zoology or a variety of infraspecific names in botany . When the generic name is already known from context, it may be shortened to its initial letter, for example, C. lupus in place of Canis lupus . Where species are further subdivided,

7776-412: The standard format for a species name comprises the generic name, indicating the genus to which the species belongs, followed by the specific epithet, which (within that genus) is unique to the species. For example, the gray wolf 's scientific name is Canis lupus , with Canis ( Latin for 'dog') being the generic name shared by the wolf's close relatives and lupus (Latin for 'wolf') being

7872-465: The straight stems, combined with long flowering period makes that Leucospermum species and their hybrids are bred as garden ornamental and cut flower. Most pincushions are upright shrubs or even small trees of 1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) high, that usually have a single main stem. Some species however only have trailing branches and can form low mats, 1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) in diameter. Yet another set of species grow several stems directly from

7968-406: The style, and these rolled lobes are said to resemble lice. The species of the section Hamatum are sometimes called hook pincushions . Both species are trailing, mat-forming species with stiff, narrow, erect leaves and have small heads with between four and twelve flowers in one whorl. The perianth tubes are inflated towards the upper end and the styles are beset by very small teeth facing towards

8064-403: The taxon is termed a synonym ; some authors also include unavailable names in lists of synonyms as well as available names, such as misspellings, names previously published without fulfilling all of the requirements of the relevant nomenclatural code, and rejected or suppressed names. A particular genus name may have zero to many synonyms, the latter case generally if the genus has been known for

8160-402: The tip of the branches, 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) in diameter. The involucral receptacle is never flat. The style is 1–2½ cm (0.4–1.0 in) long, topped by a club-shaped, cylindric or rounded conical pollen presenter. The colour of the flower changes when ageing, from cream to pink or from yellow to orange. All four perianth lobes curl back individually to form four small rolls surrounding

8256-411: The tip or oblique. The very tip has a groove that functions as the stigma that is centrally or oblique oriented. The finely powdery ovary is 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long, and gradually merges into the style base. It consists of one carpel and contains a single pendulous ovule . At the base of the ovary are four linear or awl-shaped scales of 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long that secrete

8352-494: The tip, hairless or with a covering of soft cringy one-celled hairs, sometime interspersed with longer straight silky hairs. The flower heads are seated or have a short stalk, and grow individually in species with large heads or with two to ten together in species with smaller heads, in the axils of the leaves near the end of the branches. The general shape of the heads is a flattened, round, egg- or cone-shaped sphere of 2–15 cm (0.79–5.91 in) in diameter. The position not at

8448-448: The tips of the perianth lobes, and filaments cannot be identified, but in the species that constitute the section Brevifilamentum , a filament of 1–1⅛ mm (0.2–0.3 in) long makes the connection between the anther and the lobe. The buds are ripped open along a suture facing away from the center of the flower head by the style that grows in length quickly, eventually reaching a length of 1–8 cm (0.39–3.15 in), straight or with

8544-405: The under- or outside. The hermaphrodite flowers themselves are set on a common base that may be cylindrical, conical or flat, and have small bracts at their base. The flowers have a perianth that is hairy on the outside, particularly at the tip, and consists of four tepals that are merged into a tube. Usually the four anthers are merged individually with the tip the perianth lobes, and only in

8640-576: The values quoted are the mean of "accepted" names alone (all "uncertain" names treated as unaccepted) and "accepted + uncertain" names (all "uncertain" names treated as accepted), with the associated range of uncertainty indicating these two extremes. Within Animalia, the largest phylum is Arthropoda , with 151,697 ± 33,160 accepted genus names, of which 114,387 ± 27,654 are insects (class Insecta). Within Plantae, Tracheophyta (vascular plants) make up

8736-413: The very tip of the branches helps to distinguish Leucospermum from related genera such as Diastella , while the more than one head per branch helps to distinguish the sections Diastelloides and Hamatum from the other sections. The involucral bracts are green in fresh specimens, and inconspicuous. They may have different shapes such as linear or ovate, with a sharp or pointed tip. In the majority of

8832-429: The virus species " Salmonid herpesvirus 1 ", " Salmonid herpesvirus 2 " and " Salmonid herpesvirus 3 " are all within the genus Salmonivirus ; however, the genus to which the species with the formal names " Everglades virus " and " Ross River virus " are assigned is Alphavirus . As with scientific names at other ranks, in all groups other than viruses, names of genera may be cited with their authorities, typically in

8928-607: The wild, their origin is mostly quite clear because plants of the parent species grow nearby. The low number of such intermediate plants, suggests these hybrids are infertile. The following putative hybrids have been observed in gardens and in the field. Rourke suggested that L. tottum var. glabrum is probably the hybrid between L. tottum and L. vestitum . Many other hybrids have consciously been created and are propagated as ornamental or cut flower. The species that were originally described as, or moved to Leucospermum or one of its synonyms, which since have been reassigned include

9024-539: The year that was chosen as a starting point for the binominal nomenclature proposed by Carl Linnaeus , are not valid however. The first valid names were already created that very year with the publication of the first edition of Species Plantarum , with the description of two species, Leucadendron conocarpodendron and Leucadendron hypophyllocarpodendron (now Leucospermum conocarpodendron and L. hypophyllocarpodendron ) by Linnaeus. In 1763, Michel Adanson also described several Proteaceae species, and did so under

9120-603: Was given priority over Leucadendrum . Johann Friedrich Klotzsch described L. pedunculatum in 1845. Carl Meissner , who contributed a section on the Proteaceae in 1856 to the series Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis by Alphonse Pyramus de Candolle , recognised twenty-three species, including seven new ones: L. gueinzii , L. mundii , L. reflexum , L. oleaefolium var. brownii (now L. bolusii ), L. zeyheri var. truncatum (now L. truncatum ), L. attenuatum var. praemorsum and var. ambiguum (now L. praemorsum and L. erubescens ). Otto Kuntze revised

9216-508: Was followed by L. arenarium by Hedley Brian Rycroft in 1959. John Patrick Rourke in 1970 distinguished 47 species, eight of which new to science: L. erubescens , L. fulgens , L. innovans , L. pluridens , L. praecox , L. profugum , L. secundifolium and L. utriculosum . He later added the newly discovered L. winteri in 1978, L. hamatum in 1983, and L. harpagonatum in 1994. Rourke erected several sections in 1970, among which Xericola , to which he assigned L. alpinum including

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