Pterodiscus ruspolii seeds grow into a caudex geophyte native to the desert and dry shrubland biome of eastern and southern Ethiopia and Kenya named after the Italian explorer and naturalist Eugenio Ruspoli (18661893), who collected specimens in Somalia and East Africa before being killed by an elephant during an expedition, making this one of the most poignant eponyms in the flora of the Horn of Africa. This member of Pedaliaceae (the sesame family) develops a substantial underground or partly exposed tuberous caudex from which seasonal stems arise bearing attractive flowers typically soft lilac-purple tubular blooms that are highly ornamental relative to the modest size of the plant. Fully dormant in the dry season.

Full sun, very sharp drainage and a dry rest when dormant replicate the extreme desert and dry shrubland conditions of its Ethiopian and Kenyan habitat.

• Substantial tuberous caudex the water-storage organ through seasonal drought
• Soft lilac-purple tubular flowers disproportionately ornamental for the plant’s size
• E. & S. Ethiopia to Kenya desert and dry shrubland biome
• Named after explorer Eugenio Ruspoli, killed by an elephant while collecting in East Africa
• Full sun; very sharp drainage; dry dormancy rest; Family Pedaliaceae

Pterodiscus ruspolii carries one of the most dramatic botanical dedications in East African natural history a beautiful tuberous caudiciform honouring an explorer whose passion for the flora of the Horn of Africa led to his tragic death, from the same arid zone where he made his collections.

IMPORTANT: Pictures show the adult plant, which is not for sale. The offer is only for seeds.