| Pteronia incana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| An "ashbush" (Pteronia incana) in cultivation | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Pteronia |
| Species: | P. incana |
| Binomial name | |
| Pteronia incana (Burm.) DC. | |
 | |
Pteronia incana ("Asbos" or "ash-bush") is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, indigenous to the Karoo regions of South Africa.
This species has small, light grey, woolly, fragrant leaves, and forms a low, dense bush. Its fragrant leaves have a variety of medicinal uses.
The flowerheads appear in Spring, at the tips of the branches. They are solitary, yellow, 15mm wide, with non-sticky yellow-green bracts, and small of coconut.
It often co-occurs with its close relatives, Pteronia paniculata or Pteronia pallens , both of which have distinctive yellow-green leaves.
Pteronia glauca ("Boegoekaroo") is a very similar species, which also has light grey leaves. However, unlike P.incana, its outer branches are always down-turned. [1] [2]
The distribution of this species is in the south-western Cape of South Africa. It occurs throughout the Little Karoo and Robertson Karoo, northwards through the Tanqua and Ceres Karoo, into the Namaqualand. Its range extends southwards into the Overberg region, especially along the broader region of the Breede river valley. Its range also extends eastwards into the Eastern Cape Province.
Its natural habitat is renosterveld vegetation, growing in deep, silty (often clay-rich) soils that are usually derived from shales. [3]
Pteronia is a genus of evergreen, woody perennial plants assigned to the family Asteraceae with currently 76 described species. Like in almost all Asteraceae, the individual flowers are 5-merous, small and clustered in typical heads, surrounded by an involucre of bracts. In Pteronia, the centre of the head is taken by relatively few, yellow, disc florets, while a ring of ligulate florets is absent. These florets sit on a common base.
Celtis africana, the white stinkwood, is a deciduous tree in the family Cannabaceae. Its habit ranges from a tall tree in forest to a medium-sized tree in bushveld and open country, and a shrub on rocky soil. It occurs in Yemen and over large parts of Africa south of the Sahara. It is a common tree in the south and east of southern Africa, where the odour given off by freshly-cut green timber is similar to that of Ocotea bullata or Black Stinkwood.
Aloiampelos striatula, formerly Aloe striatula, the hardy aloe or striped-stemmed aloe, is a sturdy succulent plant that naturally occurs on the summits of mountains along the south of the Karoo region of South Africa. Tough and hardy, with bright yellow flowers, it is also cultivated as a garden ornamental.
Euclea crispa, commonly known as the blue guarri, is an Afrotropical plant species of the family Ebenaceae. The hardy and evergreen plants may form a dense stand of shrubs, or grow to tree size. It is widespread and common in the interior regions of southern Africa, and occurs northward to the tropics. Though some are present near the South African south and east coasts, they generally occur at middle to high altitudes. It is readily recognizable from its much-branched structure and dull bluish foliage colour. Those bearing lanceolate leaves may however resemble the Wild olive, another common species of the interior plateaus.
Astroloba foliolosa is a small succulent plant of the genus Astroloba widespread in the arid parts of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
Crassula nudicaulis is a succulent plant native to South Africa, and Lesotho.
Cadaba aphylla ("Swartstorm") is one of some 30 species in the genus Cadaba. It is indigenous to southern Africa.
Glottiphyllum suave is a species of succulent plant, of the family Aizoaceae. It is indigenous to arid areas of the western Little Karoo, in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Anacampseros retusa is a species of succulent plant native to the Northern Cape and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa, as well as to Namibia.
Pteronia paniculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, indigenous to the Karoo regions of South Africa.
Pteronia pallens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, indigenous to the Karoo regions of South Africa. Its natural habitat is dry, rocky slopes. It often cooccurs with its close relatives, Pteronia paniculata or Pteronia incana.
Pteronia glauca ("Geelboegoekaroo") is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, indigenous to the Karoo regions of South Africa.
Pteronia oppositifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, indigenous to the western Little Karoo and Overberg regions of South Africa.
Euphorbia tuberosa, commonly known as '"milkball/melkbol"' or '"wilderamenas"', is a variable geophytic plant of the family Euphorbiaceae, indigenous to the western parts of South Africa.
Euphorbia rhombifolia is a species of flowering plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is native to Namibia and South Africa, where it is widespread in clay-rich soils, extending as far east as Kwazulu-Natal.
Drosanthemum lavisii is a succulent plant in the ice plant family, Aizoaceae, indigenous to the Overberg region of the Western Cape Province, South Africa.
Drosanthemum quadratum is a succulent plant in the ice plant family, Aizoaceae, indigenous to the Overberg region of the Western Cape Province, South Africa.
Gladiolus patersoniae is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the genus Gladiolus of the family Iridaceae, indigenous to the southern Cape regions of South Africa.
Felicia is a genus of small shrubs, perennial or annual herbaceous plants, with 85 known species, that is assigned to the daisy family. Like in almost all Asteraceae, the individual flowers are 5-merous, small and clustered in typical heads, and which are surrounded by an involucre of, in this case between two and four whorls of, bracts. In Felicia, the centre of the head is taken by yellow, seldom whitish or blackish blue disc florets, and is almost always surrounded by one single whorl of mostly purple, sometimes blue, pink, white or yellow ligulate florets and rarely ligulate florets are absent. These florets sit on a common base and are not individually subtended by a bract. Most species occur in the Cape Floristic Region, which is most probably the area where the genus originates and had most of its development. Some species can be found in the eastern half of Africa up to Sudan and the south-western Arabian peninsula, while on the west coast species can be found from the Cape to Angola and one species having outposts on the Cameroon-Nigeria border and central Nigeria. Some species of Felicia are cultivated as ornamentals and several hybrids have been developed for that purpose.
Dianthus caespitosus, called the Karoo pink or koperangelier, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae.
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