Aulax cancellata

Aulax cancellata, commonly known as the channelleaf featherbush, and previously scientifically as A. pinifolia, is a single-stemmed shrub that grows to 2,5 m in height. The plant reseeds after fire, unlike the multi-stemmed A. pallasia that is able to resprout from its woody rootstock.

The leaves are narrow to needle-like, channelled and hairless, ascending up the stems. The leaves become from 5 cm to 10 cm long.

The plant in the photo is male, the species dioecious, bearing clustered racemes of pollen-bearing yellow florets at stem-tips. 

The species distribution is in the south of the Western Cape from the Cape Peninsula to the far west of the Eastern Cape.

The habitat is lower to middle fynbos slopes on sandstone derived soils. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

The three Aulax species are all found in the fynbos (Manning, 2007; iNaturalist; iSpot; http://redlist.sanbi.org).