Brunia laevis

Brunia laevis, sometimes called the silver stompie and in Afrikaans the vaalstompie (little grey stump), is a rounded shrub reaching 1,5 m in height. It sprouts after fire from a woody rootstock. The branches are finely hairy, the tiny leaves stalkless, overlapping and ascending. They cling to the stems that appear white velvety in the photo. The leaf-shape is oblong, curving in at their tips.

The globose flowerheads that grow in loose clusters comprise many tiny white or cream flowers. The photo shows two stages of flowerhead development, dotted grey buds and fluffy, cream open flowerheads. In flower a head measures 1,5 cm to 2 cm in diameter, the size enhanced by the many long stamens protruding. Flowering occurs from late winter to summer.

The species distribution is in the far southwest of the Western Cape, from the Hottentots Holland Mountains to Bredasdorp and the Agulhas Plain.

The habitat is fynbos on sandstone and limestone slopes. After assessment the habitat population has recently been moved from least concern to near threatened early in the twenty first century, due to agriculture and flower harvesting (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; http://redlist.sanbi.org).