Chironia palustris

Chironia palustris, commonly cerise stars or the marsh chironia, is an erect herb that clumps, reaching heights from 30 cm to 70 cm. The stems die back in winter. The leaves, broad at the base and tapering to the tips, are mainly basal.

The species distribution ranges across all nine South African provinces, mostly found in the northeastern regions and also widely in southern Africa.

The habitat is marshy areas, palustris (Latin) meaning marshy. None of the three subspecies is considered to be threatened in their respective habitats early in the twenty first century.

Parts of this plant are used in traditional medicine for treating stomach conditions in children (Pooley, 1998; http://redlist.sanbi.org).