Struthiola confusa or jakkalsgare

Struthiola confusa, commonly known as the soetgonna (sweet gonna) or jakkalsgare (jackal yarn or jackal thread), is a slender, erect shrublet reaching heights around 30 cm.

The leaves are narrow, blunt-tipped and hairy. They are dark green, ascending close to or adhering to the stems.

The flowers grow solitary in leaf axils of the upper stem parts. The long cylindrical calyx tube of the flower is pale cream with a hint of greenish, sometimes with a bend along its length. The four sepal lobes recurve from the flower mouth.

Above them eight yellow petal scales spread and ascend. These scales are small, fleshy and pointed. The four stamens are hidden inside the flower tube. The flowers exude a strong fragrance at dusk. Flowering happens in the first part of spring.

The species, a South African endemic, is found in the Western Cape from Tulbagh and Caledon to the western parts of the Little Karoo. It grows on lower slopes in dry fynbos. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iSpot; www.redlist.sanbi.org).