Brachystelma pulchellum

This plant is thought to be Brachystelma pulchellum, commonly the beautiful brachystelma, the name a translation of the specific name, pulchellum, a Latin word meaning beautiful. This is a dwarf perennial growing prostrate stems from 7 cm to 25 cm long, branching near the base. The plant grows from a flattened, disc-shaped tuber that becomes up to 5 cm in diameter underground. 

These flowering plants produce intriguing flower shapes often hiding in other vegetation. Their small, spectacular flowers do attract plant collectors that diminish their numbers in nature. The flowers also attract flies, maybe blowflies and green flies as pollinators.

The species is a range-restricted South African endemic occurring only in KwaZulu-Natal between Pietermaritzburg to Durban.

The habitat is low grassland, thornveld and sourveld in sandstone derived, shallow soils and near sandstone outcrops and cliffs, often wedged among rocks. The habitat population is deemed near threatened early in the twenty first century, due to urban development and to some extent trampling by cattle (Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; https://www.llifle.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).