Disperis fanniniae

Disperis fanniniae, commonly the granny bonnet or in Afrikaans the moederkappie (mother bonnet), is a slender or sometimes stout herb that grows to heights from 15 cm to 45 cm.

Three or four stem-clasping, alternate leaves are borne, heart-shaped and tapering to acutely pointed tips. More purple appears on the lower leaf surfaces than above. Leaf blades (and bracts) are sometimes coarse or wrinkled.

The species is distributed from the Eastern Cape along the eastern parts of the country to Limpopo; it is also found to the west in the Free State and in some neighbouring countries, including Lesotho. The distribution lies at elevations from 800 m to 2000 m.

The habitat is forest floor detritus in damp shade, on moss-covered rocks and more recently in pine forests; the plant semi-terrestrial in habit. The species is not considered threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Pooley, 1998; Manning, 2009; iSpot; www.redlist.sanbi.org).