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Vexatorella alpina
Also called Alpine Protea
Kamiesberg vexator is an evergreen upright shrub up to about 1.5 m tall, endemic to the Kamiesberge hills of Northern Cape, South Africa. It is a rare, cold-hardy fynbos species best grown in a well-drained, sunny spot with minimal water once established.
Vexatorella alpina, the Kamiesberg vexator, is an evergreen, upright shrub of up to about 1½ m high, in the family Proteaceae. It has entire, long inverted egg-shaped, bluish grey, leathery leaves of 3–4½ cm (1.2–1.8 in) long and 5–13 mm (0.2–0.5 in) wide on a distinct stalk, and globular flower heads of about 2 cm (0.8 in) across at the tip of the branches, and consisting of pale pink flowers with extended, thick-tipped styles. The plants are flowering from September to November. It is an endemic species that is restricted to the Kamiesberge in South Africa.
Vexatorella alpina can only be found in the Kamiesberge, the highest hills of Namaqualand, Northern Cape province, where it mostly grows in a vegetation type called Kamiesberg Granite Fynbos, at an altitude of 1300–1600 m (4250–5250 ft). It grows on soils derived from the Archaean granite bedrock in this area, and it apparently prefers the upper reaches of the slopes either facing north or south. The average annual precipitation is 200–500 mm (7½–20 in), more than 75% of which falls during the winter half year. Other plants that grow in the same vegetation are species of Metalasia, Cliffortia and Passerina.
Swartruggens Vexator · Robertson Vexator · Witteberg Vexator · Montagu Vexator · Karoo Vexator · Vexators
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Vexatorella alpina 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.
