km². Ecology Pollination occurs through visits to the flower heads by species of rats and mice. Periodic wildfires destroy the adult plants, but the seeds can survive such an event. It is a short-lived re-seeder with a generation lasting 15 to 20 years. The plant grows in a fynbos or renosterveld. It found growing in substrates of silcrete or ferricrete gravel, at altitudes of 150 to 700 metres. Conservation In the 1990s this was considered a rather unknown species, being cryptic and easily overlooked, and it was believed not to be threatened and probably more common, but at the same time possibly endangered with extinction. Nonetheless, it has a restricted range, and in 1996 its conservation status was assessed as 'vulnerable' by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). In 2009 this was upgraded to 'endangered', but as of 2019 it is considered 'near threatened' by SANBI, with a population decreasing in numbers. Near threatened is because SANBI has inferred that the total population will be reduced in 2049 by 21-27%, based on the recent rate of habitat loss. Population decline is caused by habitat loss to afforestation, agriculture, habitat degradation by Australian invasive plants of the genera Hakea and Acacia, overgrazing by livestock, too frequent wildfires, as well as unexplained reasons in some cases. Too frequent fires do not give the plants time to mature and set seed. Much of the more hilly habitat has been destroyed to plant trees, and in the lowlands habitat is eyed for production of wheat; both industries saw a slight expansion in Riversdale, Swellendam and Shaw's Pass in the 2010s. Some 61% of the original habitat has been irreversibly altered. Only two populations are located within protected areas. Despite this all, in 2019 SANBI continued to caution that "this species is probably more common in suitable habitat than is currently known", it is simply difficult to find and understudied. The population is estimated to be large. References decurrens