Dasispermum suffruticosum

Dasispermum suffruticosum or the sea parsley may bring its own palette of colours to beach sand, should the sand not make the effort itself!

The plant is a hairless, branched perennial herb that may grow erect to 50 cm or lie prostrate on dunes or sandy flats. This specimen that was seen on a dune at Cape Agulhas during January is well branched and strong. Its colouring reflects the presence of green and blue-green leaves, white or cream flower clusters and inflorescences in various stages of maturing into fruit (Manning and Goldblatt, 1996; Bean and Johns, 2005).