Phylica humilis

This Phylica humilis plant was found flowering in Fernkloof during March. The sprawling shrublet grows to 30 cm with fine white hairs on the creamy upper stems. The specific name, humilis, is derived from the Latin word humi meaning in or on the ground and the Latin suffix -ilis indicating capacity or ability; the name referring to the low-lying habit of the species.

The small leaves are sessile without stipules, ovate to heart-shaped. They taper to acutely pointed tips. The leaf margins are entire, their upper surfaces smooth and shiny while hairy below.

The tiny, whitish flowers of P. humilis grow in small clusters at stem-tips, the capitula or flowerheads; a few leaves positioned around them. The tiny petals curve in like hoods. Flowering usually happens from midwinter to spring.

The species grows in the Western Cape from the Hottentots Holland Mountains to Bredasdorp. 

The habitat is lower fynbos slopes. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Andrew, 2017; JSTOR; http://fernkloof.org.za; http://redlist.sanbi.org).