''Lobostemon curvifolius'', the largeflower healthbush, is a species of the forget-me-not family from

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 ...

Description

''Lobostemon curvifolius'' is a resprouting shrub which grows up to in height.BODATSA: Botanical Collections. v1.4. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Dataset/Occurrence. http://ipt.sanbi.org.za/iptsanbi/resource?r=brahms_online&v=1.4 It is frequently confused with

Lobostemon fruticosus ''Lobostemon fruticosus'', also known as the eightday healthbush or pyjamabush, is a species of medicinal plant endemic to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. It is considered to be ecologically and economically important but is declining due t ...

. The leaves are covered in silvery hairs that lie against the surface on both the upper and lower faces. The

midvein This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

is prominent on the underside. The pointed leaf tips may curve back towards the plant. Flowers are present between August and November. The large (greater than ) bell-shaped flowers are borne in compound cincinni with at least three flowers per cymule. The five the sepals are oblong, similar in width and are not fused to each other. The five petals are violet-blue or pink. They are hairy on the outside. The staminal scales are ridge-like and lack lateral lobes. They occur well below the throat of the corolla tube, above the base.

Habitat and distribution

This species is restricted to the fynbos region of the Western Cape of South Africa. It is found from Caledon and Stanford in the

Overberg __NOTOC__ Overberg is a region in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the Western Cape Province's south coast between the Cape Peninsula and the region known as the Garden Route in the e ...

region to

Cape Infanta A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. The ...

. It does not appear to be restricted to certain soil types and has been found on sandstone, limestone and sandy flats. It has been found in a variety of fynbos habitats, including Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos near Houw Hoek, Overberg Sandstone Fynbos between Caledon to Agulhas, Sand Fynbos near

Bredasdorp Bredasdorp is a town in the Southern Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa, and the main economic and service hub of that region. It lies on the northern edge of the Agulhas Plain, about south-east of Cape Town and north of Cape Agul ...

, and De Hoop Limestone Fynbos and Potberg Sandstone Fynbos to the east.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15590696 Boraginaceae Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces Plants described in 1837 Fynbos