Spider Capegorse or molbossie
Aspalathus araneosa
The story
The story of the spider Capegorse, or molbossie, is deeply tied to the changing landscape of the Western Cape. Once thriving across a range of 3,700 square kilometers from the Cape Peninsula to Malmesbury, this unique fynbos and renosterveld shrub has watched its homeland transform. As wild fields were cleared to make way for vineyards, cereal crops, and citrus orchards, thirty-five original subpopulations dwindled down to just ten, which now face ongoing pressure from agriculture and invasive species.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
- Family
- Fabaceae
How to use it
This plant is part of the fynbos and renosterveld vegetation, which plays a crucial role in its ecosystem. It contributes to the biodiversity of the area and supports various wildlife species.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Gardening tip
If you're thinking about planting spider Capegorse, remember that it grows best in its native fynbos habitat, so consider planting it in well-drained soil that mimics those conditions.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
About
Aspalathus araneosa, commonly known as the spider Capegorse or molbossie, is a small to medium-sized shrub belonging to the family Fabaceae. The species is endemic to the Western Cape and forms part of the fynbos and renosterveld vegetation. It occurs in the Cape Peninsula as far as Malmesbury, has a range of 3700 km² and only ten of the original 35 subpopulations remain. The plant has lost habitat to the planting of citrus orchards, vineyards and cereals. The existing subpopulations are threatened by crop cultivation and invasive species.
Ecology
How it lives
- Propagated by
- Seed
Full detailsevery field on the record, to copy
- Name
- Aspalathus araneosa
- Slug
- aspalathus-araneosa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Aspalathus
- Species
- araneosa
- Propagule type
- seed
- Container suitable
- No
- Indoor suitable
- No
- OSSI pledged
- No
- Hazard level
- 1
- Data completeness
- 43
Generated sections & citations
summarywikipedia
fun_facts_kidsllm_gemini · confidence 0.00
- wikipedia (description.summary) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspalathus_araneosa
fun_facts_adultllm_gemini · confidence 0.00
- wikipedia (description.summary) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspalathus_araneosa
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- wikipedia (description.summary) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspalathus_araneosa
how_to_usellm_openai · confidence 0.00
- wikipedia (description.summary) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspalathus_araneosa
gardening_tipllm_openai · confidence 0.00
- wikipedia (description.summary) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspalathus_araneosa