Brunia laevis, Volstruisies Shrub Seeds - South African Endemic Indigenous

Brunia laevis Seeds

Volstruisies, Vaalstompie

Brunia laevis forms a rounded grey looking shrub up to 1 meter tall. It re-sprouts from a fire resistant rootstock. The leaves are oblong, 3-5mm long, incurved at the ends and with minute hairs on the upper surface. It bears small cream-coloured flowers in globular heads, 15-20mm in diameter. The common name Volstruisies alludes to the fancied resemblance of the flower heads to a brood of ostrich chicks. Vaalstompie refers to the stumps that usually remain after the woody shrubs have been burned by fire. It is normally found growing in rocky sandstone and limestone slopes, usually at higher altitudes than Brunia nodiflora.