Aptosimum procumbens, the brandbossie

Karoo violets flower in the Little Karoo in spring and summer. The plant grows in a much larger distribution, however, found throughout the western, semi-arid region of South Africa and north of the border.

The blue flowers of Aptosimum procumbens have white throats and dark to black blotches on each spreading petal lobe. They make an impression both in numbers at the height of blooming periods and in close-up viewing of a single flower.

A common name of brandbossie is explained by the medicinal use made of this plant in treating sunburn, a common occurrence in the karoid land of few shade trees (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010).