''Lobostemon glaber'', the renoster healthbush, is a species of plant 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 ...

. It is in the forget-me not family.

Description

This shrub grows tall. It has both woody and herbaceous branches. The herbaceous branches and the stemless lance-like leaves are hairy. The hairs are not of uniform length. They may be either of two size classes or fall along a continuous spectrum of lengths. White or pale pink funnel-shaped flowers are present between August and November. They are borne in cymes. The buds are loosely arranged to form a globose unit or are arranged in two distinct parallel rows, spreading greatly in fruiting stage. The anterior petals are longer and have larger lobes than the rest. They are not hairy. The staminal scales are triangular with lateral lobes. They are inserted below the throat of the corolla tube, above the base of the corolla tube. It may be confused with '' Lobostemon trichotomus'', but the hairs on the mericarpids (nutlets) of ''Lobostemon glaber'' are diagnostic.

Distribution and habitat

This species is found growing from the

Koue Bokkeveld The Koue Bokkeveld, meaning "Cold Buck Shrubland" in Afrikaans, is a mountain range in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Geologically the range is composed of Cedarberg Sandstone of the Cape System. Location and extent It is located above ...

to the

Cape Peninsula The Cape Peninsula ( af, Kaapse Skiereiland) is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of ...

and

Witteberg The Witteberg or Witteberge is a South African mountain range just off the south-west corner of Lesotho. The range, which rises to 2408 metres, stretches for about 60 km from Lundin's Neck in the east to Lady Grey in the west. The range l ...

. It is found growing on shale soils and rocky slopes.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

Ecology

This species is popularly visited by bees. It produces a large quantity of nectar, making it a high reward species. Like other ''Lobostemon'' species, it is able to resprout after a fire.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17414801 Boraginaceae Flora of South Africa Plants described in 1837