Saltera sarcocolla stems with leaves and without

The sparse branches of a Saltera sarcocolla shrub bear leaves in their upper parts only. Pale grey, fairly smooth and woody, the lower stems are thick and strong enough to sustain the plant in the Southeaster, the Cape Doctor that blows relentlessly over the fynbos when it is dry as the season gets hotter. Northwesterly winds bring the rain here, but in winter. The thin, willowy stems need resilience to wave stem-tip flowers at insects during spring, and a little longer (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; iNaturalist).