The butterfly leaf (Adenolobus garipensis)

•Luise HoffmannTHE butterfly leaf cannot really be confused with any other shrub in Namibia. It is an evergreen shrub or small tree of up to 4 metres with long rod-like branches.

The leaves to whose shape the English common name refers are bright green or blue-green with a waxy layer and folded along the midrib.

They are quite similar to the leaves of the Bauhinia species. Their margin is entire and the apex either rounded or deeply notched while the base is rounded to heart-shaped. The bark on older branches is pale grey; young branches are grey-green.

The distribution area of the butterfly leaf extends in a broad band along the western escarpment, reaching into the Outjo district and into the western Khomas Hochland. It is also found from about Helmerginhausen southwards along the Fish River and along much of the Orange River.

In fact, the species name garipensis refers to the former name of the Orange River, namely Gariep. The butterfly leaf prefers coarse sand and rocky soils and is often found along dry washes and also on hill slopes.

Nams: A. beesklou, bloubeesklou, latjiesbos; H. omukandakanda. The Afrikaans common names also refer to the leaf shape similar to the footspoor of cattle i.e. “beesklou”, while “latjiesbos” describes the rod-like appearance of the slender branches. Adenolobus means ‘glandular lobes’ and the inference is unclear although the pods may be covered with short glands. The butterfly leaf is often heavily browsed down to the basal stems.But when in leaf it is quite conspicuous due to the silvery green colour of the leaves. The flowers are often strung out all along the branches or clustered in threes on dwarf shoots.

They are cup-shaped, cream-coloured to red with conspicuous red or maroon markings and strongly protruding, up-curved stamens. They may be present throughout the year but mostly during September and October. The half-moon shaped pods, ending in a sharp point, measure about 30 x 13 mm and are suspended from the calyx on a thin stalk.

This frost and drought resistant shrub with its attractive leaf colour would make an interesting garden plant.

Found in the same distribution area but only from about Helmeringhausen northwards and less common is Adenolobus pechuelii, a shrub with erect branches or of a spreading habit and reaching about 1,5 metre. Its leaves also have a blue-green sheen and are bilobed.

This shrub is most visible when covered in its sprays of bright yellow flowers about 10 – 20 cm long with more than 5 flowers per spray and often held well above the plant. The pods are similar in shape to those of the butterfly leaf but dark red and more numerous.

Due to its habit of flowering profusely Adenolobus pechuelii might also be of value as a garden plant. The species name refers to the Berman geographer E. Pechuel-Loesche, pechuelii being the genitive of this surname and thus meaning the Adenolobus of Mr Pechuel-Loesche.

No special uses of either of these plants have been mentioned.