Agathosma betulina

Agathosma betulina, commonly known as mountain buchu or round-leaved buchu and previously botanically as Barosma betulina, is an evergreen, broad-leaved shrub reaching 2 m in height. This South African endemic is multi-stemmed, coppices readily and resprouts after fire.

The species distribution is in the northwest of the Western Cape, the Cederberg to the Groot Winterhoek Mountains and the Piketberg where the photo was taken.

The habitat is fynbos, particularly near streams where the plants grow on rocky sandstone slopes, often in silty or shale soils. The plants grow at elevations from 300 m to 700 m in winter rainfall territory.

The plant population in nature has been reduced, probably by between 10 percent and 20 percent, due to earlier harvesting practices aimed at the commercial value of the the plants essential oils. The species is, however, not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2007; iNaturalist; Wikipedia; http://redlist.sanbi.org).