Hermannia flammea

Hermannia flammea, commonly known as a doll’s rose and in Afrikaans as a poprosie (doll's rose), is a sparsely branched, erect, dwarf shrub. It grows to heights from 60 cm to 80 cm and often becomes hairy with age. The common names of doll’s rose and poprosie are shared with other members of the genus. Other common names for the plant include granny’s bonnets, which may refer to the pointy shape of the calyx and night smelling honey bells. The honey bells name is also ascribed to other species of Hermannia.

The specific name, flammea, is derived from the Latin word flammeus meaning fiery, blazing or flame-coloured, referring to the flower colour.

The leaves are green, wedge-shaped and toothed at the tips.

The species is found in the Western Cape, the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape.

The habitat is coastal grassy slopes of sandy and clayey soils. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Gledhill, 1981; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).