Muraltia heisteria (L.) DC.
Half hardy, erect or branching, evergreen shrub with clustered leaves, to 8mm long, and solitary or paired, axillary, purplish flowers, to 8mm long. To 1m. [RHSD].
Horticultural & Botanical History
‘In Holland it appears to have been very long since known; but was a stranger here, till introduced from the Cape by Mr. Masson, in 1787, to Kew. In the course of a few years it becomes a shrub of considerable size, equalling a small furze bush, to which, in its habit, it bears a distant resemblance; and furze-leaved, in our humble opinion, would have been a more expressive name than heath-leaved, which Mr. Aiton has given it in accordance with Commelin’s idea. The purple of the flowers is brilliant in the extreme, and as those are plentifully produced almost the year through, it has very generally obtained a place in collections of green-house plants about London. It is commonly increased by cuttings, but not easily.’ [BM t.340/1796]. MB p.150/1837.
History at Camden Park
Listed in all published catalogues [T.689/1843].
Notes
Naturalised on the coast near Sydney. [FNSW, Beadle].
Published Mar 22, 2009 - 04:39 PM | Last updated Mar 24, 2010 - 03:19 PM
Muraltia heisteria (L.) DC. | BM t.340/1796 | BHL
| Family | Polygalaceae |
|---|---|
| Category | |
| Region of origin | South Africa |
| Synonyms | |
| Common Name | |
| Name in the Camden Park Record | Muraltia Heisteria |
| Confidence level | high |