Phylica lasiocarpa

Phylica lasiocarpa is a spreading, much-branched shrub reaching heights up to 60 cm in height. It resprouts after fire from a multi-stemmed stump.

The short-stalked narrow leaves ascend upon the stems. They are leathery, dark green and glossy above, white-felted below with margins that curve down strongly. The leaves become from 6 mm to 12 mm long and 3 mm wide.

The small white flowers grow in variable heads at stem-tips, up to 6 mm in diameter. The globular white buds appear like a cluster of fluffy balls. The five sepals open in a cup-shape with out-curving pointed tips, revealing five anthers in a ring around the small, greenish stigma. Flowering happens from summer to mid-autumn.

The fruit is also woolly, the specific name, lasiocarpa, refers to this. Lasios (Greek) means shaggy with wool or hair, while carpos (Greek) means fruit. The hairs are short and velvety on the initially green, later dull brownish red or yellowish, ovoid to obovoid fruit. The dark sepal remains persist at the tip of the fruit.

The species is distributed coastally in the southwest of the Western Cape from the Hottentots Holland Mountains to Bredasdorp.

The habitat is dry sandstone and clay lower slopes in fynbos. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Bean and Johns, 2005; Andrew, 2017; Burman and Bean, 1985; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).