Cotula discolor

Cotula discolor, sometimes commonly called beach buttons and previously scientifically known as C. mariae and C. fallax at different times among other names in reaching its current destination in the botanical taxonomy, is a mat-forming perennial that attains heights around 20 cm. There are stiff hairs on the usually erect, short stems. The plant does not root at its nodes.

The species distribution is in the Western Cape from Mossel Bay eastwards close to the coast, to the Eastern Cape as far as East London, always close to the coast.

The habitat is sandstone fynbos, dune thicket and seashore vegetation, also on coastal cliffs. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Manning and Mucina, 2013: Cotula discolor. African Journal of Botany, 88, 240; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).