Diastella divaricata (P.J.Bergius) Rourke

Taxonomy and vegetation type

Diastella divaricata is a flowering shrub that belongs to the genus Diastella and is part of the fynbos vegetation.

Native range

This plant is native to the Western Cape province of South Africa, where it occurs on the Cape Peninsula south of Silvermine Nature Reserve.

Growth form and size

It grows as a low, flat shrub, reaching only 50 centimeters in height but spreading up to 3 meters in diameter.

Flowering period

The species flowers throughout the whole year, with no distinct peak flowering period.

Fire response

While fire will kill the mature plant, its seeds can survive wildfire.

Seed dispersal

Two months after the plant finishes flowering, the fruit detaches from the shrub, and ants disperse the seeds by storing them in their nests.

Reproduction and pollination

Diastella divaricata is unisexual, and pollination is carried out by bees.

Habitat and altitude

It grows in moist sand, at altitudes ranging from 0 to 600 meters above sea level.