Hilliardiella hirsuta

Hilliardiella hirsuta is commonly known as the quilted-leaved vernonia and in Afrikaans as the wildesonsoekertjie (wild little sun seeker). It is a hairy perennial growing multiple, unbranched, annual stems from a woody rootstock and reaches heights around 1 m.

The simple, alternate leaves are stalkless, clasping the stem. The leaf-shape is oblong to lance-shaped. The leaf margins are entire, scalloped or toothed. The sometimes-wavy blades are thick-textured with veins sunken on top and prominent below, appearing quilted. The blade surfaces are roughly hairy above, whitish grey and woolly below. Some of the hairs are glandular. Leaf dimensions are variable, about 10 cm long by 5 cm wide.

The stem-tip and axillary inflorescences are dense, flat-topped panicles of flowerheads bearing purple, pink or magenta florets. The involucres are narrow-tipped and hairy. The discoid heads are from 5 mm to 8 mm wide. Flowering happens from late winter to early summer.

The species distribution is in the east of South Africa, from the Eastern Cape, the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal to the provinces north of the Vaal River, as well as some neighbouring countries.

The habitat is grassland, scrub and forest margins, from the coast to elevations around 1900 m. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

The plant features in traditional medicine. It is a hardy garden plant (Manning, 2009; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).