Hebenstretia dura

Hebenstretia dura, commonly the cat’s tail or eastern shrubby slugwort, is a soft perennial that reaches about 60 cm in height. Many erect stems form a bushy clump from branching at the base.

The stalkless flowers grow in dense, upright spikes. The flowers have long narrow tubes slit down the front and four lobes on the single corolla lip. There are usually orange spots on the white corollas. Bloomtime is from end spring to after midautumn.

The plant is found in the eastern parts of the country, from the Eastern Cape, the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal to Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. It also grows in some neighbouring countries. 

The habitat is diverse summer rainfall grassland. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

H. dura was evaluated for horticultural merit in a study in Pennsylvania in the USA in 2002 with the following results: performance strengths were vigour, resistance to disease and pests, uniformity in size and foliage appearance. The ease of cultivation, unique blooms, glossy foliage and small stature were seen as ideal for intimate outdoor spaces where the sweet fragrance can be appreciated on warm evenings.

Plant parts are sometimes mixed with fat for making a perfumed ointment (Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; www.actahort.org; www.plantzafrica.com; https://www.worldfloraonline.org; http://redlist.sanbi.org).