Bassia diffusa

Bassia diffusa, commonly known as saltspurge, in Afrikaans as soutbossie (small salt bush) and previously scientifically as Chenolea diffusa, is a much-branched, mat-forming, coastal perennial.

The species distribution is along the South African coast, therefore in all four coastal provinces. The photo was taken at Onrus near Hermanus in the Walker Bay.

The habitat is sea-front conditions, in the mud of salt-marshes, in mangrove-swamps, sprawling over coastal rocks, among dunes close to the high-tide limits and on dry ridges around some estuaries. It may be the dominant plant in the upper intertidal zone in some parts. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Smith, et al, 2017; Mustart, et al, 1997; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; JSTOR; http://redlist.sanbi.org).