Satyrium stenopetalum subsp. brevicalcaratum

Satyrium stenopetalum subsp. brevicalcaratum plants may be slender or stout, reaching heights from 22 cm to 40 cm.

The dull, blue-green leaves in picture are at or near the base, sheathing the stem loosely and spaced to just below the inflorescence where they grade into the floral bracts. The leaf shape is elliptic, tapering to a blunt tip, here with wavy margins; the leaf texture stiff.

The distribution of this subspecies, endemic to the Western Cape, is from Clanwilliam to the Cape Peninsula and eastwards to the Agulhas Plain, plants growing from near sea-level to elevations around 900 m. The plant in picture was photographed in the Gifberg during October. The subspecies is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Liltved and Johnson, 2012; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).