Aspalathus cephalotes subsp. violacea

Aspalathus cephalotes subsp. violacea is an erect or spreading shrub reaching heights between 50 cm and 2 m. A. cephalotes flowers blue-violet.

The distribution of A. cephalotes is in the southwest of the Western Cape from the Cape Peninsula to Piketberg, Worcester and Caledon. There are three subspecies, viz. subsp. cephalotes, subsp. violacea and subsp. obscuriflora. Subsp. violacea grows at least in the Cape Peninsula and the mountains near Wellington. This photo of it was taken on the Paardeberg near Riebeek West.

The habitat is fynbos slopes on sandstone. The habitat populations of all three subspecies are deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2007; iNaturalist; iSpot; http://redlist.sanbi.org).