Hermannia depressa

Hermannia depressa, commonly known as the roadside doll's rose, sometimes the purple leaf doll's rose, in Afrikaans as rooiopslag (red regrowth) and in Zulu itshesizwe, is a low-growing perennial that grows from a woody taproot.

The simple, elliptic to ovate leaves with scalloped margins grow from stems spreading on the ground. Short-stalked and alternate, the leaves are usually reddish brown or purple, sometimes pale or dark green. Straight lateral veins ascend from midrib to margin, all recessed upon the upper surface.

The bell-shaped flowers with flaring petals nod from short, sometimes branched stalks, only a few cm above the ground. Flower colours vary: They may be mauve, pink, yellowish cream, cerise or orange. Dark veins are sometimes visible upon the corolla. Long, thin and hairy calyx lobes reach near the point where the corolla lobes spread. Flowering occurs from spring to autumn.

The species distribution is widespread in South Africa, recorded in all nine provinces but not much in the western parts; also occurring in Namibia. The photo was taken south of the Magaliesberg.

The habitat is grassland where the taproot safeguards the plant’s survival in spite of often being trampled by stock. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; iNaturalist; iSpot; http://redlist.sanbi.org).