Tetragonia hirsuta

Tetragonia hirsuta is one of the sea corals but it mainly grows inland. In Afrikaans known as the grootsaadklappiesbrak (big seed tetragonia), it is a hairy, soft shrub or shrublet that spreads or grows erectly (or both), to heights of 50 cm from a woody base.

The species, a South African endemic, grows in the northwest of the Western Cape and the southwest of the Northern Cape, from Nieuwoudtville to Piketberg and Worcester. The photo was taken in the Biedouw Valley.

The plants grow in sandy and loam soils, sometimes sheltered among bigger shrubs. They are found at elevations to about 700 m. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Le Roux, et al, 2005; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; JSTOR; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).