Hermannia cernua

Hermannia cernua is a branched shrublet that sprawls and becomes only 10 cm tall, or grows erectly to about 25 cm. The leaves are alternate upon the green or red young stems. Old and woody stems tend to become pale grey, more or less leafless.

The species distribution is widespread in southern Africa. This plant was found in the Little Karoo in the Western Cape. It also grows in the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape, North West, Free State and Mpumalanga, as well as in at least Lesotho and Namibia.

The habitat is flats, dry riverbeds and rocky outcrops in clayey soils. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Shearing and Van Heerden, 2008; Manning and Goldblatt, 1997; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).