Lotononis dahlgrenii is a woody shrub that grows to 80 cm. The rigid stems are widely branched, pale green when young, turning brown as they age and develop rough surfaces. The leaves are small, trifoliolate with linear to oblanceolate leaflets, covered in silvery hairs. Leaflets fold in along their midribs.

The flowers grow on long stalks from short side-branchlets, lacking stipules. The banner petal is wide, side petals small, adhering to the keel that is narrow with an orange tip. Flowering occurs in winter. The distribution is small, lying on higher renosterveld and sandolien slopes in arid, rocky areas of the Rooiberg and Gamkaberg in the Little Karoo. The plant is heavily browsed, being palatable and considered vulnerable early in the twenty first century.  

This specimen was seen in May on the Rooiberg (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Wikipedia; www.redlist.sanbi.org).