Pentanisia prunelloides

The wild verbena or in Afrikaans, the sooibrandbossie (little heartburn bush), as Pentanisia prunelloides is commonly known, grows widespread in South African summer rainfall grassland.  

Erect hairy stems sprout every spring from a woody and also fleshy rootstock, producing attractive terminal flower clusters seen throughout summer. 

The species grows naturally in the east of South Africa in summer rainfall grasslands. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

Medicinally the plant is used for treating heartburn as the Afrikaans name suggests, but also for a myriad of other ailments including haemorrhoids. The Zulu name, icimamlilo, means that which puts out the fire. 

Apart from its status among medicinal plants, wild verbena is worth consideration as a garden plant, propagated from cuttings (Manning, 2009; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).