Karoo Violet (Aptosimum lineare) Seeds HARDY Flowering Plant

An ideal water wise ground cover plant for dry gardens, Aptosimum lineare is one of the treasures of the arid and semi-arid parts of South Africa.

DescriptionThese perennial plants form 'carpets' of up to 1 m in diameter and about 20cm in height. When in full bloom it is covered with dark blue or violet, trumpet-shaped flowers that can appear at any time of the year but mostly during spring to summer. Leaves are delicate and needle like.

Distribution
A. lineare, and other species of Aptosimum, have a wide distribution range from parts of Namaqualand, Bushmanland, the Great Escarpment, the Northern, Upper, Great and Little Karoo, Northern Cape and Namibia. It often occurs in abundance on floodplains, flats, ridges, crowns, disturbed ground and mountain plains.

Uses and cultural aspects
It is quite surprising that Karoo violets with their striking beauty have received very little horticultural research, as they really show great potential as garden plants especially in the dry parts of the country. The plants are said to be of medicinal value and are used to treat krimpsiekte in sheep, an acute and serious sickness that affects the joints, muscles and stomach, often resulting in starvation and ultimately death.