Aristea spiralis

Aristea spiralis, the star-eyed aristea, is a robust, perennial growing usually unbranched stems from a rhizome and reaching heights from 20 cm to 70 cm, mostly around 50 cm. The plants form clumps.

The soft, flat leaves without midribs are about 30 cm long and up to 1 cm wide. They grow in loose fans from the ground.

The species distribution is in the south of the Western Cape from the Cape Peninsula to Bainskloof in the north and Knysna in the east. The photo was taken west of Hermanus.

The habitat is seasonally moist fynbos on rocky sandstone and granite flats and slopes to elevations around 1000 m. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Marais, (Ed.), 2017; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).