Dwarf, evergreen, much-branched shrub (up to 60 cm) with slender, wiry, woolly branches and minute, clustered, silvery leaves. Produces spike-like purple-brown flowerheads in autumn/winter. Aromatic, unpalatable, and drought-adapted; forms dense stands in degraded grasslands.
Insects:Flowers attract bees.Wildlife:Unpalatable to grazers; provides nesting material for birds and small mammals.Soil:Alters soil moisture, suppresses grass growth, allelopathic.Ecosystem Services:At low/intermediate densities, increases plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity; at high densities, reduces biodiversity and grassland productivity.
Purple-brown flowerheads attract bees; wind-dispersed seeds.
Used for nesting material.
Sow in spring; germinates in 2 – 3 weeks.
Possible from semi-hardwood cuttings.
Bedding, kindling, nesting, Cape herbal medicine for wounds and as a bitter tea.
