Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

South Africa

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Tough Stems

Status

Uncommon

About

This tufted perennial grows in the sandy marshes of the Western Cape. Its stems shed their outer leaf sheaths to reveal smooth, dark green stalks.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →
• Watch on YouTube →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Liliopsida

Order

Poales

Family

Restionaceae

Genus

Elegia

Species

Elegia tectorum