Muraltia heisteria

Muraltia heisteria is a shrub in the milkwort family (Polygalaceae) which is native to South Africa and is cultivated in Australia. It was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus.

Muraltia heisteria
LC (Red List of South African Plants)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Polygalaceae
Genus: Muraltia
Species:
M. heisteria
Binomial name
Muraltia heisteria
(L.) DC.
Synonyms[1]
  • Heisteria pungens P.J.Bergius
  • Muraltia albietina Chodat
  • Polygala heisteria L.
  • Polygala stipulacea Burm.f.

Description

It is a very prickly, erect, sparsely branced perennial shrub or dwarf shrub which is very rigid and densely branched. It has a height between 20 and 80 centimetres (0.66 and 2.62 ft).[2][3][4][5] It contains hard, thick, spine-tipped, lance-shaped leaves which usually have hairy edges. They are clustered along the stem and are 5 to 10 millimetres (0.20 to 0.39 in) long and 1 to 2 millimetres (0.039 to 0.079 in) wide.[3][4]

It produces small purple, pink, or ocassionally white flowers which are thickly studded along the branches and 7 to 12 millimetres (0.28 to 0.47 in) long.[3][4][5][6][7] Its 5 sepals are 4 to 5 millimetres (0.16 to 0.20 in) long and almost equal in length while its 3 petals are 8 to 10 millimetres (0.31 to 0.39 in) long.[6][7]

Taxonomy

It was first described by Carl Linnaeus as part of the Polygala genus in 1753.[8] It was reclassified as a Muraltia in the 1760s.[9] It is named after Lorenz Heister, a German surgeon and botanist.[3]

Habitat and Ecology

It is native to lower rocky mountain slopes with altitudes between 5 and 1,705 metres (16 and 5,594 ft) in Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Western Cape and has been introduced to South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria.[2][3][4] The plant has been shown to naturally self-pollinate.[9] It flowers between October and December in native areas, and between June and November in Australia.[3][4][7] It serves as the host plant of the insect Pseudococcus muraltiae.[10] According to the Red List of South African Plants, it is of least ecological concern and its population is stable.[11]

Uses

The flowering twigs of the plant are used as an appetite stimulant in the local area and the plant is cultivated in Australia.[9]

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References
  1. "Muraltia heisteria (L.) DC". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  2. "Muraltia heisteria (L.) DC". www.ville-ge.ch. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques Ville de Geneve. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  3. "Muraltia heisteria". Fernkloof Nature Reserve. Hermanus Botanical Society. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  4. "Muraltia heisteria". Flora of Victoria. Government of Victoria, Australia. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  5. "MURALTIA Heisteria DC. [family POLYGALACEAE]". Global Plant Database. JSTOR. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  6. "Muraltia heisteria (L.) DC". New South Wales Flora Online. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  7. "Fact sheet for Muraltia heisteria". Flora of South Australia. Government of South Australia. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  8. "Polygala heisteria L., Sp. Pl. 2: 704 (1753)". International Plant Names Index. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  9. South African National Biodiversity Institute. "Muraltia heisteria". PlantZAfrica. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  10. "Pseudococcus muraltiæ n. sp". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. Entomological Society of America. 5: 184–186. 1912.
  11. South African National Biodiversity Institute. "Muraltia heristeria (L.) DC". Red List of South African Plants. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
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