Cannomois parviflora

Cannomois parviflora, previously C. acuminata, is a tussock-forming perennial, a restio. The plant grows from a thick, brown rhizome with fleshy white roots reaching heights around 1 m.

The culms of these dioecious plants are erect and simple or unbranched. The spathes and bracts are leathery, glossy and dark with pointed tips.

The species distribution is inland, mainly in the northwest of the Western Cape from the Hex River Mountains to Clanwilliam and slightly into the southwest of the Northern Cape on the Bokkeveld Escarpment. The photo was taken near Kagga Kamma.

The habitat is sandstone fynbos on well-drained sandy mountain slopes and plateaus. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Dorrat-Haaksma and Linder, 2012; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).