Scabiosa africana is a delicate Cape Peninsula flower of the sheltered sandstone slopes. The plant branches at the base into a multitude of light green, velvety leaf rosettes. Big mauve or lilac flowers appear in spring at the top of metre long stalks during winter and spring. The flowerheads become bristly balls as the many closely aligned individual flowers produce their seeds. The plant is grown from seed or cuttings for the garden and cut flowers (www.plantzafrica.com and Manning, 2007).

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Ivan Latti