Syncarpha canescens

Syncarpha canescens, in Afrikaans the pienksewejaartjie (pink everlasting), is a sparsely branched shrublet reaching about 50 cm in height. The small, overlapping leaves are narrowly elliptic and grey-felted.

Several rows of papery, pointed involucral bracts make up the surrounding protection of each flowerhead and announce readiness of the central disc of tiny florets for visitors.

Flowering happens from before midsummer to early spring. The pink colouring is lost over time, the pollination then probably done or discontinued. Some other Syncarpha species start off with whitish bracts.

The three subspecies of S. canescens all predominate in the Western Cape, one of them distributed slightly wider.

The plants are found in varied rocky, fynbos and renosterveld conditions. None of them is considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Manning, 2007; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).