Adenandra villosa or shepherds delight

The leaves of Adenandra villosa, commonly known as shepherd’s delight or in Afrikaans basterbergboegoe (half-caste mountain buchu), are alternate. They may ascend or spread in orientation, sometimes overlap, but are usually spaced to expose some pale brown or reddish and hairy stem. This changes immediately below the flowers where leaves are densely clustered, involucre style.

The leaf shape varies. It is narrowly lanceolate to elliptic, oblanceolate or oblong, even nearly rounded. Leaf dimensions are from 4 mm to 13 mm long, from 2 mm to 5 mm wide. Leaf surfaces are leathery, sometimes hairy, shiny or covered in darker green mottling. The leaf margins are slightly thickened and revolute.

The flowers of A. villosa might delight anyone coming upon them in the fynbos. Why they would have this effect particularly on shepherds is not known. Sheep dont find fynbos overly palatable. Maybe this plant is a welcome exception, warming the heart of the one who cares.

A. villosa is distributed in the Western Cape from Clanwilliam to the Cape Peninsula and eastwards to Worcester, Caledon and Kleinmond. It grows among fynbos on sandstone slopes and summits. This plant was photographed in Bainskloof (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; iSpot).