Aspalathus hispida

Aspalathus hispida, in Afrikaans commonly known as wasblommetjiesbossie (little wax flowers bush) or wit ertjiesbos (white peas bush), is a straggling shrublet sometimes reaching 1 m in height.

Aspalathus is from the Greek aspalathos meaning a scented shrub. Hispida is from Latin meaning hairy, bristly or shaggy. The young branches are velvety with fine hairs, older ones pale with streaks of grey.

The plant is found growing widespread in the Western and Eastern Cape, mainly in clay and sandy soils. There are two subspecies: subsp. albiflora (Latin for white flowers) and subsp. hispida (this one also growing in the Northern Cape). Neither of these subspecies is considered to be threatened in their habitats early in the twenty first century (Manning and Goldblatt, 1996; Bean and Johns, 2005; Andrew, 2012; www.redlist.sanbi.org).