Clematis villosa subsp. stanleyi

Clematis villosa subsp. stanleyi, commonly known as wild dog(!), in Afrikaans as the pluimbossie (little plume bush) and previously scientifically as Clematopsis scabiosifolia subsp. stanleyi, is a robust shrublet, sometimes regarded as a perennial herb. It resprouts annually from a woody rootstock, reaching heights from 50 cm to 1 m. The plant is covered in silvery hairs on most parts.

The species distribution is north of the Vaal River in Gauteng, the west of Mpumalanga, the south of Limpopo and the east of North West and also in some neighbouring countries, at least Botswana and Zimbabwe.

The habitat is mainly rocky ridges in grassland, bushveld and thornveld where the soils are sandy. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Germishuizen and Clarke, 2003; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; iNaturalist; https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw; http://redlist.sanbi.org).