Pteronia staehelinoides branches

Pteronia staehelinoides branches much. Its young stems are covered in leaves, the old ones bare and pale grey, their surfaces rough.

An Afrikaans vernacular name of kraakbos (crack bush) has some currency, although its etymology is unknown; maybe a feature of the branches or a sound emitted by plant parts when the wind blows (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; iSpot).