Brachystelma franksiae subsp. franksiae

Brachystelma franksiae subsp. franksiae, commonly known as Frank’s brachystelma, is a slender, erect perennial reaching heights from 15 cm to 30 cm. The plant grows from an underground tuber. The single stem branches sparingly, becoming woody low down. The sometimes ribbed branches are leafless lower down when older, in picture pinkish purple.

The subspecies distribution is central in KwaZulu-Natal from Pietermaritzburg to Camperdown, as well as in African countries from eSwatini to Tanzania and Malawi. The photo was taken in eSwatini.

The habitat is grassland and thornveld at elevations from 250 m to 1000 m. The habitat population is deemed vulnerable early in the twenty first century, due to habitat loss, invasive exotic vegetation and some plant collection, as it is used in horticulture.

The other B. franksiae subspecies is subsp. grandiflorum, found in a restricted range on the Eastern Cape coast (Leistner, (Ed.). 2000; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).