Tetraria thermalis (L.) C.B.Clarke, the bergpalmiet, is a South African perennial in the family Cyperaceae. The species is endemic to the Western Cape, from the Cape Peninsula to Nature's Valley, growing on sandy soils and sandstone slopes [1] There are some 50 species of Tetraria in Africa and Australasia, of which about 38 occur in the Cape fynbos. Tetraria, currently, is polyphyletic and in need of taxonomic revision. [2] [3] [4]
This is a pioneer plant which recovers rapidly after fire, aiding the regrowth of other species. It reaches some 2,5 m in height, is trigonous with wiry, drooping yellow-green leaves that are narrowly sword-shaped and keeled. They have scabrid leaf margins armed with minute teeth pointing to the leaf apex. [5] The flowering stems are erect and triangular in cross-section, standing well above the leaves. Nutlets are small and trigonous, often crowned by a persistent style, and are consumed by the Chacma baboon.