About

Monopsis is a genus of small, Lobelia-like herbaceous plants indigenous to Africa. A few species are annuals, but most are perennials. Common names are not well established, but often refer to more familiar plants, as in "wild violet" for Monopsis unidentata, "yellow lobelia" for Monopsis lutea or "pansy lobelia" for Monopsis debilis.

How to grow it

Many of the species are desirable as informal plants because of their unobtrusive habit, simple maintenance, and vivid colours. They already were being recommended as garden ornamentals in the early nineteenth century. The creeping species such as Monopsis lutea and Monopsis flava are horticulturally useful components of flat ground cover and can be included in suitable lawns as inoffensive flowering plants among the grass. Bushier species such as Monopsis unidentata do well as deeper ground covers in damp spots or in beds and pots as well as fillers in nooks and crannies in gardens where many other more formal plants either are troublesome or refuse to grow satisfactorily. Both types are rewarding in walls and hanging baskets.

In some regions at least, Monopsis species are recognised as desirable in bird-friendly gardens.

Where it grows

The genus is native to the continent of Africa, all but two of the described species occurring mainly within Southern Africa, and one species being present also on the Comoro Islands. Most are those are endemic to Southern Africa, about half of them being fynbos species.