About Pechuel-loeschea leubnitziae (Kuntze) O.Hoffm.
Pechuel-loeschea leubnitziae (Kuntze) O.Hoffm. is a strongly aromatic, shrubby perennial herb. It grows up to 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) tall. Most parts of the plant are densely grey-velvety, and covered in short glandular hairs. Its leaves are arranged alternately, and are either sessile or subsessile, meaning they lack a full leaf stalk. The leaves are narrowly obovate-elliptic in shape, reaching around 4.5 cm (2 in) long and 0.7 cm wide. Both leaf surfaces are velvety-grey, with a prominent midrib visible on both sides. The leaf margins are entire, or smooth. This species blooms between March and July. It produces capitula, which are dense clusters of sessile or subsessile flowers; these capitula are terminal, with 1 to 3 capitula growing in each leaf axil. The capitula are more or less funnel-shaped, and grow up to 1.3 cm long. The involucral scales that surround each flower head are greyish, glandular, and hairy. The florets are purple, and central ray florets are absent. This plant grows in alkaline, sandy soils in dry wooded grassland or open woodland. It often grows in large quantities along roadsides and in disturbed areas.
