''Helichrysum pumilio'' is a species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the family
Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
, known colloquially as the wolbossie. It is a subshrub native to the
Cape Provinces
The Cape Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "CPP". It includes the Sout ...
and
Free State of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
[ An aromatic, it is used by birds such as the ]Cape sparrow
The Cape sparrow (''Passer melanurus''), or mossie, is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae found in southern Africa. A medium-sized sparrow at , it has distinctive plumage, including large pale head stripes in both sexes. Its plumage is mo ...
in their nests, possibly as protection against parasites.
Two subspecies are accepted:[
*''Helichrysum pumilio'' subsp. ''fleckii''
*''Helichrysum pumilio'' subsp. ''pumilio''
]
References
pumilio
Endemic flora of South Africa
Flora of the Cape Provinces
Flora of the Free State
Plants described in 1898
{{Gnaphalieae-stub