Adenandra brachyphylla

Adenandra brachyphylla, the heart-leaf porcelain, sometimes even Kleinmond porcelain, is a lax or lanky shrublet that reaches heights from 40 cm to 80 cm. Adenandra plants are generally called china flowers, focussing on the colour and maybe texture of the upper petal surfaces; the porcelain name being a continuation of the same notion.

The distribution of the plant lies in the far southwest of the Western Cape, from Kleinmond to Caledon, commonly on coastal and lower sandstone slopes in fynbos. This one was photographed in the Kogelberg during November.

The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century. A. brachyphylla stumps resprout after fire (Bean and Johns, 2005; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iSpot; www.redlist.sanbi.org).