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Muraltia heisteria
Also called Porcupine Butterflybush, Prickly Purplegorse, Spiky Butterflybush, Spiny Purple Gorse, Heath Leaved Purple Gorse”
Muraltia heisteria is a very prickly, rigid, densely branched shrub or dwarf shrub from South Africa's Cape region, growing 20 to 80 cm tall with purple, pink or white flowers. It is grown in Australia and is an emerging invasive weed in South Australia, so check local rules before planting.
Muraltia heisteria is a shrub that is part of the Muraltia genus in the milkwort family (Polygalaceae). It is native to South Africa and is an emerging invasive species in South Australia. It was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus.
It is native to lower rocky mountain slopes with altitudes between 5 and 1,705 metres (16 and 5,594 ft) in Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Western Cape and has been introduced to South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria. The plant has been shown to naturally self-pollinate. It flowers between October and December in native areas, and between June and November in Australia. It serves as the host plant of the insect Pseudococcus muraltiae. According to the Red List of South African Plants, it is of least ecological concern and its population is stable.
The flowering twigs of the plant are used as an appetite stimulant in the local area and the plant is cultivated in Australia.
Muraltia bolusii · Muraltia flanaganii · Mini Purplegorse · Purple Gorse · False Butterflybushes
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Muraltia heisteria by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
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.
