Exocarpos nanus Hook.F.

A spreading shrub. It grows up to 30 cm high. It can spread 1 m wide. There are many branches and these lie along the ground. The small branches are slender. They are green. The leaves are reduced to small scales. They occur in opposite pairs. The flowers are very small. They are yellowish-green but can have red colouring. They occur as 2-4 together in the axils of leaves. The fruit are 3 mm long. They are green to brown-red. They have a succulent stalk. This is 5 mm long and bright red.

It is a temperate plant. It grows in alpine and subalpine regions. It usually grows in heathland but not above the tree line. Tasmania Herbarium.

The stalk swells and becomes red and is edible.

Plants are not easy to propagate. The seed need to be sown fresh and possibly need a grass host.