Pteronia paniculata

Pteronia paniculata, the gombossie (glue or gum bush) in Afrikaans, gets its common name from the sticky leaves. The plant is aromatic and reaches 50 cm in height. The flowerheads are not sticky like some other Pteronia plants.

The leaves are dark to bright green, needle-like and furrowed along the upper surfaces. Leaves and the many branches curve inwards. The flowerheads grow in clusters at stem tips. Each flowerhead has yellow central or disc florets and yellow-green bracts around the narrow base, but no ray florets. Flowering happens in late spring and summer.

Many Pteronia species occur in the arid inland regions of South Africa. The gombossie occurs from Namibia to the Eastern Cape. In parts of the Little Karoo the plant has achieved monospecific stands due to excessive grazing and other poor veld management habits. The plant is rarely browsed as it is unpalatable to livestock and game. Small succulents often find shelter under its branches (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Shearing and Van Heerden, 2008; JSTOR).