Woollystalk Powderpuff

Sorocephalus alopecurus, the woolly-stalk clusterhead, is a flowering shrub that belongs to the genus Sorocephalus and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is endemic to the Western Cape where it occurs in the Riviersonderendberge.

The shrub grows only 1 m high and flowers from July to September. Fire destroys the plant but the seeds survive. The plant is bisexual and pollination takes place through the action of insects. Two months after the plant has flowered, the fruit ripens and the seeds fall to the ground where they are spread by ants. The plant grows on southern, sandstone slopes at elevations of 450 – 800 m.