Calotesta is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, containing the single species Calotesta alba. It is endemic to the Western Cape of South Africa, where it is limited to the Klein Swartberge Mountains.Calotesta alba. Red List of South African Plants. South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
This plant is characterized by the thick, cutinized coating on its seeds.Karis, P. O. (1990). Three new genera of the Asteraceae–Gnaphalieae from the Cape Region. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 102(1), 23-36. When the species was described in 1990, it fit into no existing genera, so the new genus Calotesta was erected to house it.Bengtson, A., et al. (2011). Phylogeny and generic delimitation of the Metalasia clade (Asteraceae–Gnaphalieae). International Journal of Plant Sciences 172(8), 1067-75.
The plant grows on steep sandstone cliff faces in the fynbos.
It is designated a critically rare taxon in South Africa because it is limited to a single mountain range, but it is not considered to be a threatened species.
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