Podalyria burchellii

Podalyria burchellii, sometimes called the hairy Capesweetpea, is a much-branched, rounded shrub reaching heights from 30 cm to 1 m. Multistemmed means that the bush resprouts after fire, along with the other early perennials to establish in new veld.

The species distribution is in the east of the Western Cape, the Little Karoo and coastal mountains from near Mossel Bay to fairly coastal in the Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal. The photo was taken in the Outeniqua Mountains.

The habitat is montane fynbos, grassveld and scrub, sometimes associated with quartzite or marshy spots. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Gledhill, 1981; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).