Botanical name

Lessertia frutescens

Family

Fabaceae

Common Name

Cancer Bush, Balloon Pea, Eendjies, Gansiekeur

Synonym (old name)

Sutherlandia frutescens
Lessertia frutescens
Lessertia frutescens
Lessertia frutescens
Lessertia frutescens
Lessertia frutescens
Lessertia frutescens

Description

Single-stemmed shrub up to 1.5m. Bitter, aromatic leaves divided into greyish-green leaflets, glabrous or thinly hairy above; flowers striking orange-red, up to 50mm long, in racemes. Pods large, inflated papery, glabrous, effectively dispersed by wind. Pollinated by sunbirds.

 

Habitat

Sandstone and shale flats and slopes

Flower Date

July to December