Lasiosiphon kraussianus var. kraussianus

Lasiosiphon kraussianus var. kraussianus, previously Gnidia kraussiana var. kraussiana, is a multi-stemmed perennial reaching heights around 70 cm. This is a resprouting species, allowed by the woody underground rootstock to get head start on reseeding species after the grass fires that have become so common in the winter grass-veld of South Africa.

Flowering occurs from midwinter to midsummer.

The plant occurs widespread in the eastern parts of South Africa in exposed grassland and also beyond the border in Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. This specimen was spotted north of Dullstroom in September. 

The plant has a stable population in nature, not considered to be threatened early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2009; iSpot; www.redlist.sanbi.org).