Trachyandra divaricata leaves and buds

Trachyandra divaricata grows in its natural habitat on coastal dunes and sand flats along the western and southern coasts of South Africa. The plant is also well-known in Western Australia and New South Wales where it is known as strapweed and has become an invasive coastal weed.

No wonder that there seems to be more written about this plant in Australia than in South Africa!  The plant is believed to be poisonous to mammals (Manning and Goldblatt, 1996; www.florabase.dec.wa.gov.au).