Eriocephalus africanus woolly, pendulous fruits

The fruits of the wild rosemary are embedded in long downy white hairs resembling cotton wool. This grows as the flowers disappear. Abundant fruiting brings about a snow-like covering upon the shrub. The Afrikaans name is kapokbossie (snow shrublet).

The plant is an obvious choice for winter rainfall area gardens; both for looks and hardiness, especially low water needs. This plant was photographed in the West Coast National Park in August (Manning, 2007; www.plantzafrica.com).