Serruria cygnea

Serruria cygnea, commonly the swan spiderhead, is a low-growing, semi-creeping and mat-forming shrub growing from a rootstock. It reaches a diameter of about 1 m and a height much less than half that, only from 10 cm to 30 cm. The branches are hairless.

The species distribution is inland in the west of the Western Cape, in the Koue Bokkeveld, the Cederberg, Slanghoek and the Hex River Mountains. The photo was taken near Tulbagh.

The habitat is middle and upper fynbos slopes in sandstone or shale. The plants often trail over rocky outcrops as does the one in picture. It occasionally roots at nodes. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Rebelo, 1995; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; JSTOR; Wikipedia; http://redlist.sanbi.org).