Streptocarpus prolixus is small perennial species with 2 to 3 rough, leathery leaves (230 x 150 mm) that grow flat on the ground, dark green above, pale purple red underneath, often with characteristic white ribs. The inflorescence can have up to 36 mauve to white keyhole shaped flowers with pale yellow throats (up to 27 mm long).
Despite the fact that it grows within the city limits of Durban (within a 40 km radius), KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa, it is not threatened because it grows on steep rock walls or earth banks. The flower stalks are much thinner and the leaves less robust than those of Streptocarpus polyanthus subsp. polyanthus with which Streptocarpus prolixus has an overlapping distribution. Hilliard and Burtt (1971) state: “It is a pretty little plant that is probably worth cultivating for its display of delicate flowers on slender scapes”.
