Family Aizoaceae Rank Species | Genus Galenia Higher classification Galenia | |
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Similar Galenia, Stone plants, Galenia africana, Vascular plant, Malephora crocea | ||
Galenia pubescens (Galenia or Coastal Galenia) is a low-growing perennial herb in the family Aizoaceae. It is native to southern Africa and naturalised elsewhere.
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Description
The species is prostrate or decumbent with ovate to spatulate leaves which are covered with hairs when young. The flowers are white with a slight pink tinge and yellow with age. These are followed by capsules which contain shiny, black seeds to 1 mm in length.
Naturalisation
In Australia the species is naturalised in Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales. In New South Wales, the species is regarded as a noxious weed in the Liverpool Plains and Tamworth regions under the Noxious Weeds Act 1993.
The species is a scourge of beekeeping - it produces nectar profusely and bees like it, but the nectar makes honey taste so bad that it is inedible for humans.