Metalasia muricata (L.) D.Don

Erect shrublet or shrub, sometimes compact, often robust, much to very much-branched, up to 3 m high. Branches erect, young densely whitish-tomentose, older becoming glabrous or subglabrous, with distinct leaf-scars. Foliage dense. Leaves spreading, apically curved to hooked, with axillary brachyblasts less than half as long as the subtending leaf, involute to much involute, narrowly oblanceolate to oblanceolate, or sometimes lanceolate, 2.6-9.0 x 0.4-1.5 mm, acute in outline, obtuse at the very apex, often carinate, half-twisted or twisted about once, slightly pubescent to glabrous, with a distinct midvein at least towards the base. Synflorescenses (5-)10-50 mm wide, dense, conspicuously branched, with often numerous capitula arranged in (few-)10-30 ± branched clusters, each containing few to numerous capitula; a few individually arranged capitula sometimes also present. Peduncles (0-)2-18 mm long. Capitula 4-5(-6)-flowered, sessile or with pedicels up to 5 mm long, free from one another, lower 3/5-3/4 of each capitulum hairy. Involucre narrowly cyathiform to very narrowly campanulate, apically 2-3 mm wide, sometimes up to 4 mm wide at anthesis. In vomeral bracts in (6-)7-9(-10) series, gradually longer inwards, outermost about 1/5-1/3 as long as the innermost, most bracts not petaloid, outermost subfoliaceous to scarious, those inwards more scarious to petaloid, outermost narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, those inwards narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate, all except outermost with narrow hyaline margins and usually slightly transparent above the stereome, outermost acute, those inwards acute in outline but rounded at the very apex to entirely rounded or subtruncate and slightly dentate to emarginate, outermost to inner apically erect, innermost apically erect-spreading to erect and with slightly involute margins, all except innermost thick and faintly carinate, outermost with interlocking hairs reaching above the middle of the bract, those inwards less hairy to glabrous, outermost light to dark brown, those inwards yellowish-brown to creamy white to white, innermost with a stereome about 1-1.4 times as long as the lamina. Corolla narrowly cylindrical, 3.8-4.5 mm long, sometimes with a rigid resiniferous base; lobes erect. Anthers apically rounded to truncate. Cypselas narrowly oblong to narrowly oblong-ovoid, 1.5-1.9 mm long, without an annular ridge, with short acute papillae, brown. Pappus bristles with a slightly serrate to dentate, very narrow to narrow shaft, apically ± flattened and slightly serrate to entire, subterete or thickened towards the very apex, usually obtuse, sometimes with inconspicuous clavate cells.

It is a Mediterranean plant. It grows on dunes along the coast. In coastal forests it grows along streams. It can grow up to 1800 m altitude in South Africa. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 100-150 mm. It can grow in arid places.

The leaves are used to make tea.

Plants can be grown from seeds or cuttings.