Montinia caryophyllacea

Montinia caryophyllacea is a multistemmed, upright shrub reaching heights around 1,5 m. It resprouts after fire. The genus is monotypic, this being its only species. The plant does not seem to have cultural uses, at least among people. Among pollinators it is a different matter.

The specific name links the plant to the Caryophyllus genus, based on the superficial resemblance to the much-used clove plant, Syzygium aromaticum, previously Caryophyllus aromaticus. So, it at least has look-alike mates put to good use by people.

The plant also has several common names: wild clove bush or in Afrikaans peperbos (pepper bush) or bergklapper (mountain cracker). The first Afrikaans name refers to the taste of the leaves, the second to the dehiscent seed husks.

The leaves are bluish green or grey green, leathery, elliptical and deciduous. Depending on rainfall they may be sparsely distributed on the plant and quite small on mature plants.

The small, four-petalled white flowers are unisexual, the sexes growing on separate bushes of the dioecious species. The female flower has a long green cylindrical calyx tube with a green triangular stigma. They grow solitary or in pairs, while the slightly smaller male flowers occur in clusters. The blooming season is autumn to spring.

The large species distribution is in the southwestern regions of southern Africa, from southern Angola and Namibia to the Northern Cape and the Western Cape as far as the Cape Peninsula and eastwards to the Eastern Cape. The plant in picture was found in the mountain north of Greyton in September.

The habitat is dry sandstone and granite slopes of grassy fynbos and loamy renosterveld where it is sporadic. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

The young sprouts are often browsed by game (Euston-Brown and Kruger, 2023; Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Manning, 2007; iNaturalist; www.fernkloof.com; http://titanarum.uconn.edu; http://redlist.sanbi.org).