Pteronia fasciculata

    Pteronia fasciculata

    Pteronia fasciculata, in Afrikaans the paraffienbos (paraffin bush), is a much-branched, rigid shrub that grows to 1 m. Its woody branches and hard, sticky leaves are never browsed.

    The distribution of the species lies in the Western Cape from the Ceres Karoo through parts of the Great Karoo of the Northern Cape and the Little Karoo into the west of the Eastern Cape Karoo.

    The habitat is arid fynbos in rocky or sandy places, red clay and shale on flats and slopes. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; iSpot; JSTOR; www.redlist.sanbi.org).