Streptocarpus pusillus is a very small species (the name “pusillus” means tiny) which is a high-altitude species occurring all along the Drakensberg mountains, the high inland mountains (up to 2400 m) consisting of very hard basalt rocks on the South African border to Lesotho. It therefore occurs from the inland Easten Cape and KwaZulu Natal further north into the Free State, KwaZulu Natal and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa. Its distribution also stretches into the KwaZulu Natal midlands. These areas often receive snow and are therefore very cold, during which their leaves would abscise.
Most species of Streptocarpus that are monocarpic (meaning that they die after flowering) are unifoliate, but Streptocarpus pusillus is a monocarpic species that normally develops one or two more leaves besides the basal one. It grows in cracks amongst rocks often on cliffs. It has light green leaves (maximally 220 x 160 mm, mostly much smaller), bearing up to 30 pure white flowers (18 mm long) on a stout stem.
- A free-flowering plant growing on a rock face
- A tidy leaf with flowers
- A plant with multiple leaves
- A beautiful heart-shaped leaf; note what appears to be another leaf at the top of the plant
- Leaves and flowers with a hand for scale
- A colony of plants growing on rock face
