Acmadenia argillophila I.Williams

Shrubs 0.20-0.50 m tall, rigid, branching from a single stem at ground level. Branches short, bent; bark rough, ashy-brown. Branchlets short, thinly and minutely puberulous, not hidden by the leaves, often forking at 90°. Leaves 2-3.4 mm long, 1.4-1.9 mm broad, ovate or oblong, obtuse, thick, glabrous, not shining, sessile, spreading, usually opposite, dorsally gland-dotted; margins thick. Inflorescence terminal, 1-4-nate, normally in opposite pairs; flowers 10 mm diam., sessile, lilac; bud globose; calyx glabrous. Bract 1 mm long, 0.9 mm broad, ovate, obtuse, glabrous, gland-dotted; margins sparsely ciliolate, narrowly translucent. Bracteoles two, 0.7 mm long, 0.7 mm broad, sub-ovate, obtuse, glabrous, gland-dotted; margins ciliolate, narrowly translucent on all sides. Calyx lobes five, 1.6 mm broad, 1.6 mm long, ovate, obtuse, glabrous, gland-dotted, somewhat reddened; apex slightly thickened; margins ciliolate, translucent. Petals five, 4.8-5.2 mm long, 3.3-3.9 mm broad, glabrous, lilac, with a few gland dots dorsally near the midrib; limb orbicular, spreading, margins very sparsely setulose; claw about 0.8 mm long, 0.7 mm broad. Staminodes five, 0.5 mm long, 0.2 mm diam., conic-obtuse, pale-translucent, arising on the outer side of the disc adjacent to the petals. Filaments five, becoming 2.1 mm long, acicular, glabrous, reddened below, apex purplish, incurved erect. Anthers five, before anthesis 1.2 mm long including the apical gland, 1.1 mm broad, wine-coloured; apical gland leaning inwards, becoming sticky-tipped before anthesis; thecae rather distant. Pollen 44 µ, long, 24 µ broad, oblong, slightly waisted. Disc sinuate, dark green, fleshy, exudes nectar, never exceeds the ovary. Stigma 0.4 mm diam., capitate, green, indistinctly 5-lobed. Style becoming 0.9 mm long, glabrous, somewhat bent, sometimes persisting. Ovary 5-carpellate, 0.9 mm long, 1.1 mm diam., glabrous, apices globose. Fruit 5-carpellate, 13 mm diam., globose, reddened or tri-coloured, hornless, glabrous, many gland-dotted, apices emarginate. Seed 5.5 mm long, 2.5 mm broad, black, shining.