PEDALIACEAE

Pterodiscus cinnabarinus

Red Sandkambroo

Wildflowers

Rare yellow form

Local Context

Common across the estate. A remarkable yellow form is only known from Raptor's View. This identification has been confirmed by botanist Ralph Peckover, who described P cinnabarinus for the first time in a 2016 paper.

Identification

Growth: Perennial herb growing up to 20 cm high with upright or rising branches; it has a swollen, above-ground base (caudex) about 3–4 cm wide and thick, spindle-shaped roots underground.
Flowers: Red or reddish-orange with a yellow throat, consisting of a cylindrical tube (about 2.5 cm long) that lacks a specific landing area for insects; the pollen-bearing anthers and stigma are positioned right at the entrance of the tube.
Leaves: Lance-shaped (up to 7 cm long and 2 cm wide) with edges that are mostly smooth but have a few sharp, wavy projections; they typically have 4 pairs of side veins.
Texture: The flowers are almost hairless (glabrous) but have visible hairs at the entrance of the tube.
Fruit: A flattened, roundish capsule (up to 3 cm long and wide) with four broad wings that nearly touch at the base of the fruit; the beak at the top is very narrow and barely noticeable.

Did You Know?

Although a fairly striking species, Pterodiscus cinnabarinus was only described in 2016 because it was long misidentified as P. ngamicus. This delay stemmed from the historical lack of research on the Pedaliaceae family. Only recently did Ralph G. Peckover formally distinguish its unique reddish-orange flowers and specific Lowveld distribution from its relatives.

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