Hermannia saccifera

Hermannia saccifera, in Afrikaans commonly known as the komynbossie (little cumin bush) and previously scientifically as Mahernia ovalis, is a sprawling, sometimes matforming shrublet occasionally reaching 40 cm in height. The plant is multistemmed, capable of resprouting after fire.

The elliptic to oblong leaves have toothed margins and often sticky surfaces. Lateral veins ascend beside the whitish midribs prominent on the lower surfaces of the hairless blades. Leaf dimensions are about 25 mm long and up to 10 mm wide.

The species distribution is in the Western Cape from around Caledon to the Eastern Cape as far as Uitenhage. The photo was taken on the Outeniqua Mountains.

The habitat is dry, stony and clayey fynbos, renosterveld, karoid shrubveld and coastal slopes, the plants hardy against drought. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

The plant is only browsed when fodder is scarce (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2007; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://pza.sanbi.org; http://redlist.sanbi.org).