Pentanisia angustifolia, also known as narrow-leaved pentanisia,[1] is a species of flower that blooms in the early rains of southern Africa.[2]
This plant has simple, undivided leaves, typical of the family.
Pentanisia angustifolia is found in eastern South Africa, Lesotho, eSwatini,[3] and Mozambique.[1]
Up to 800m in Mozambique[1] and higher in the highveld.
The flower lives in the herb layer of woodlands.
Derived from Greek, "Penta-" (πέντα) means "five" and "-nisia" may come from the word "nisos" (νῆσος), which means "island" or "land." The specific epithet is derived from Latin, "angusti-" coming from "angustus," meaning "narrow" or "tight" and "-folia" coming from "folium," which means "leaf," hence the "narrow-leaved" reference in this flower's common name.
Synonyms include Diotocarpus angustifolius Hochst. and Pentanisia variabilis Harv. var. glaucescens Cruse ex Sond.[1] The genus Diotocarpus was revised alongside other herbaceous Rubiaceae in 1952, having been considered a taxonomic synonym of Pentanisia.[4]