[2] Pollichia campestris was first described in 1789 by the Scottish botanist William Aiton in the publication Hortus Kewensis,[3] a catalogue of all the plants then being cultivated at Kew Gardens.

The leaves are greyish-green and hairy at first, measuring up to 3 by 1 cm (1.2 by 0.4 in), narrowly lanceolate or elliptical, with acute apexes, short stalks and small, membranous stipules.

The fruit is a capsule with a persistent receptacle and calyx, and the bracts become swollen and fleshy, waxy-white or dull orange.

It often forms part of the subcanopy in the Kalahari thornveld region of South Africa, but in Botswana it often grows in more open habitats.

[5] The fruits are also eaten by people, the foliage is browsed by animals and the plant is used in traditional medicine to treat rheumatism and chest problems.