Streptocarpus vandeleurii is a monocarpic and unifoliate species with large leaves (up to 300 x 300 mm); it grows in the shelter of rocks in grassveld and on rocky ridges in South Africa over a large area.
Its range extends from the east in Mpumalanga Province to the central Gauteng Province (where it grows on rocky outcrops in the capital city of Pretoria) all the way to the far west in Limpopo and North West Province. It has large creamy flowers (55 mm long) which are honey and spice scented, suggesting they may be moth pollinated.
The species has been very desirable in horticulture. It’s been used to generate a number of hybrids because it is so floriferous and has the special scent, which most (but not all) people find very attractive.
- Plants growing in Pretoria, South Africa, in rocky terrain and bright sun
- A close view of the large white and cream flowers
- A composite image, showing front and side views of the flowers
- A beautiful cultivated plant
- The whole cultivated plant, showing the large single leaf and the “abscission zone”, areas of the leaf that die back seasonally in response to drought or other circumstances
- The scented flowers of the hybrid S. ‘Rose Scentsation’, a cross of S. vandeleurii with S. ‘Texas Hot Chili’.
