Pentzia dentata

    Pentzia dentata

    Pentzia dentata, commonly known as Karoo duckfoot and in Afrikaans as eendepootkaroo (duck paw Karoo) and grootskaapkaroo (big sheep Karoo), is a shrub that may reach 1 m in height, typically only from 30 cm to 60 cm.

    The species distribution is in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, from Clanwilliam through the Little Karoo to Uniondale and in the Great Karoo. This plant was seen near Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo.

    The plants grow in renosterveld and dry fynbos in loamy soils, often on dry sandy slopes and in disturbed veld. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century.

    An essential oil derived from this plant is available in the trade (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; http://pza.sanbi.org; https://essentiallynatural.co.za; www.redlist.sanbi.org).