''Bryomorphe'' is a monotypic genusKoekemoer , M
''Bryomorphe aretioides''.
South African National Biodiversity Institute. 2004. of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

, containing the single species ''Bryomorphe aretioides''. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, where it grows in

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

fynbos Fynbos (; meaning fine plants) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean clim ...

in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

.''Bryomorphe aretioides''.
Red List of South African Plants. South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). This is a compact, tufted plant that superficially resembles a patch of

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

. It forms a mound just a few centimeters tall. The branches are covered in small, linear leaves. The

flower heads A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

each contain 6 or 7 white ray florets and 7 to 9 red disc florets. The fruit has a plumelike white pappus. The species grows in exposed, rocky habitat, anchoring in thin soil accumulated in rock crevices. It tolerates cold temperatures, dry conditions, wind, and snow. The plant is widespread in its range and not declining. Another species name, ''Bryomorphe lycopodioides'', is a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

for '' Dolichothrix ericoides''.''Bryomorphe lycopodioides''.
The Plant List.

References

Gnaphalieae Monotypic Asteraceae genera Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces {{Gnaphalieae-stub