Lantana rugosa (100 seeds)

Lantana rugosa. (Verbenaceae) Small Lantana, bird’s beer, bird’s brandy, voëlbrandewyn, wildesalie. It is a hardy, evergreen, much-branched, aromatic shrub, with rough, square-shaped stems and wrinkled leaves. This woody perennial, grows up to 2 m high. Leaves opposite, ovate to lanceolate, upper surface highly fissured giving the plant a characteristic venation. Inflorescence borne on short peduncles in the leaf axils, forming spikes of pink-purple flowers in spring and summer, giving rise to small, green, rounded fruits that turn purple at maturity. The fruits are also edible. In South Africa, various indigenous cultures prepare a paste using either leaves or fruits for the treatment of sore eyes. The paste is also used in the Zulu folklore for treatment of festering sores. Sowing: Seed should be sown in spring or during summer, in a well-drained seedling mix, and need only be covered lightly with the sowing mix, clean coarse sand or milled bark. The trays should be kept moist in a warm but shaded position. Locality: Pietersburg. Harvest: February 2024