Hermannia is a very diverse and attractive group of plants with highly ornamental flowers, fitting into a variety of habitats and growth forms, hermannias are the little porcelain bells of the South African veld. Hermannia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It comprises at least 65 species with many more species as yet unresolved. The genus commemorates Prof. Paul Hermann, a German professor of botany at Leyden and one of the first collectors to visit the Cape. These plants have high horticultural potential yet are sadly undervalued as a garden plant. Hermannia is a genus of small perennial shrubs, ranging from upright to sprawling prostrate shrublets. Hermannias possess strong, thick, rootstocks and underground stems, which enable them to withstand fires in the Highveld and overcome times of severe drought in arid areas.

Hermannia trifurca, synonymously known as Hermannia bicornis, Hermannia hilaris, Mahernia hilaris or Mahernia incana and commonly known as Broodbos, Koerasie or Koerasiebos is a South African endemic species found in the Northern Cape and Western Cape Provinces. It is a small perennial with light purple flowers.