Serruria fucifolia

Serruria fucifolia, the northern spiderhead, is an upright to rounded, reseeding shrub growing hairy branches from a single stem to heights from 80 cm to 1,5 m.

The species distribution is limited to a Western Cape region near the west coast from Clanwilliam and the Gifberg to Hopefield and Piketberg.

The habitat is sandy fynbos flats and lower slopes in summer dry, winter rainfall conditions. The species is endangered in its habitat early in the twenty first century due to severe habitat degradation from pollution, overgrazing, alien plant invasion, groundwater extraction, too infrequent fire and climate change. Habitat loss from potato and rooibos farming is adding to this (Manning, 2009; Goldblatt and Manning, 1996; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://pza.sanbi.org; http://redlist.sanbi.org).