Aspalathus granulata

Aspalathus granulata is a single-stemmed shrublet that reaches 50 cm in height, occasionally double that. The mainly erect branches are hairy when young.

The tiny, three-foliolate leaves are ovoid and succulent, only from 1 mm to 3 mm long. The granular appearance of the leaflets probably gave the plant its specific name of granulata.

The species distribution is in the Western Cape, restricted to a southerly part of the Little Karoo between Ladismith and Oudtshoorn, also across the mountains to the south, the Rooiberg, the Langeberge and the Outeniquas.

The habitat is drier mountainous fynbos in sandy soils. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; JSTOR; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).