BORAGINACEAE
Euploca strigosa
One Star Heliotrope
Wildflowers© Derek Solomon (2020)
Local Context
Dainty and uncommon on the estate in comparison to the related String-of-Stars species. Very widespread globally in open woodlands, grasslands, coastal dunes, roadsides, and disturbed grounds in Africa, Asia and Australia.Identification
- Growth: Erect annual or short-lived perennial herb (15–35 cm tall) with angled stems that branch near the base.
- Flowers: Small, white trumpet-shaped flowers (2.5–3.5 mm long), sometimes with an orange-yellow throat, arranged in slender terminal clusters (4–10 cm long when fully open).
- Leaves: Alternate, narrow to spear-shaped (10–35 mm long and 1–6 mm wide) with pointed tips and slightly rolled-under edges.
- Texture: Stems, leaves, flower stalks, and outer flower parts are densely covered in stiff, flattened hairs, while the ovary is smooth.
- Fruit: A small, flattened-round fruit (up to 1.4 x 2.2 mm) covered in stiff hairs on the upper half, splitting into 4 dark brown to black egg-shaped nutlets.
Did You Know?
Euploca strigosa (globally better known as the Bristly Heliotrope) carries a quirky historical reputation as an accidental antidote, all thanks to how it blooms. Its tightly curled flower stalks look remarkably like the arched tail and stinger of a scorpion. Under the ancient Doctrine of Signature - the folk belief that a plant's physical shape reveals its medicinal purpose - traditional healers took this striking resemblance as nature's clue that the plant was designed to cure venomous scorpion stings and snakebites. While modern science confirms it won't actually neutralise scorpion venom, this sun-loving bushveld herb remains a classic example of how early herbalists used visual patterns in the wild to invent traditional remedies.