About Exomis microphylla (Thunb.) Aellen
Exomis microphylla (Thunb.) Aellen is a shrub with dichotomous branching, meaning it forks into two equal branches. This species is monoecious, meaning it produces separate male and female flowers on the same individual plant, and also bears a small number of bisexual flowers that contain both male and female reproductive structures. Male (staminate) flowers grow in clusters that form terminal spikes, and each has a 5-lobed perianth. Each staminate flower has 5 stamens, with filaments that are fused at their bases. Female (pistillate) flowers are scattered irregularly among the staminate flowers. They are surrounded by 2 cylindrical bracteoles, small modified leaves, that are accrescent, meaning they increase in size as the fruit develops. The fruit, or seed capsule, is beaked at the top. It has a fleshy pericarp, the fruit wall, that is adherent to internal structures. The seeds are vertical, and contain an annular, ring or circle-shaped embryo. The radicle, embryonic root, points downward. This species is native to South Africa, where it occurs in the Cape Provinces and Free State, and it is also found in Namibia. It grows in arid regions, specifically in low-lying sandy areas, alongside other plant species including Zygophyllum cordiflorum, Z. flexuosum, Z. morgsana, Atriplex semibaccata, Ruschia geminiflora, Ehrharta calycina, Muraltia dumosa, Searsia glauca, Limonium perigrinum, Restio oleocharis and Euclea racemosa. Ecologically, larvae of the butterfly Brephidium metophis, the tinktinkie blue, feed on this plant. The bush Karoo rat, Otomys unisulcatus, builds its dome-shaped stick nest lodges using stems from Exomis microphylla. Locally known as 'unvenyathi', Exomis microphylla is used as a folk medicine in Alice, South Africa. A decoction made from its leaves is used as a remedy for endometritis and vaginitis. The Cape Khoi people used leaf decoctions mixed with milk to treat epilepsy, internal winds, cramps, and convulsions in infants.
