Drosanthemum bicolor

Drosanthemum bicolor, commonly the sunset mesemb, is an erect, rounded shrublet growing a shallow root system and reaching heights around 1 m. Its cylindrical, succulent leaves become up to 2 cm long.

This plant, cared for in the Caledon Wildflower Garden, was found in full bloom in October. Some buds are still preparing to open, while many old flowers have turned into fruit. The plant is certainly not resting on its laurels, bloomtime being its opportunity to liven up matters in the Little Karoo considerably. 

The species distribution tends towards the western part of the Little Karoo, where it grows in clayey soils. This is a winter rainfall region vygie or mesemb found among karoid scrub. Whether this species is threatened or not is uncertain early in the twenty first century, as the species definition is not currently clear.

Such a situation suggests future taxonomical reworking, some of the similar plants in this vygie complex likely to undergo another botanical revision. D. micans is another of the genus that resembles this plant strongly (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; www.redlist.sanbi.org).