Tetragonia fruticosa flowers on the beach

Tetragonia fruticosa or kinkelbossie is a perennial shrub reaching 50 cm in height. It has white, woody stems branched from the base, tending to scramble where adjacent vegetation permits. Young stems are often reddish. T. fruticosa is often browsed by livestock and game. Close to the sea it contributes to dune sand stabilisation.

T. sarcophylla, another member of the genus that grows in the Little Karoo, also called kinkelbossie, is quite similar to T. fruticosa as bearing the same common name might suggest. T. sarcophylla can be distinguished by its thicker leaves and a compact growth habit (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Maneveldt in www.bcb.uwc.ac.za).