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Heliophila africana
Also called African Sunflax, Little Blue Mouth
Heliophila africana, the African sunspurge or little blue mouth, is a species of plant from South Africa.
Fatty acids make up approximately a third of the seed's dry weight for this species. Approximately 41% of this is made up of very-long-chain fatty acids. Linoleic acid makes up around 22% of the seed fatty acids. The relatively high levels of nervonic acid and lower levels of erucic acid may make this species one of commercial interest.
This species is endemic to South Africa. It is found between Namaqualand and Swellendam, although it is most common between the Cape Peninsula and Clanwilliam. It prefers sandy flats, where it grows between bushes and rocks.
Fairy-of-the-veld · Dainty sunspurge · Namaqua sunspurge · Sunflaxes
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Heliophila africana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
