Thamnochortus cinereus

Thamnochortus cinereus, the silver reed, is a bushy restio type plant growing many stems to 1 m in height from a tangled tuft of spreading rhizomes. The outer stems may sag to give the plant a rounded appearance. Earlier the species used to be called T. argenteus.

The species distribution is from Malmesbury in the Western Cape to Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape. It is often found on south-facing mountain slopes where rain and mist are more likely to occur. The species is not considered threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

There are 33 species of Thamnochortus, mostly occurring in the Western Cape, while some also grow in the Eastern Cape (Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Dorrat-Haaksma and Linder, 2012; www.plantzafrica.com; www.redlist.sanbi.org).