Acmadenia fruticosa I.Williams

Shrubs about 80 cm tall, forming a dense bush with many branches arising from a single stem at ground level. Branches short, glabrous, fairly erect, often dichotomous. Branchlets short, slender, erect, puberulous, reddened. Leaves 3-5 mm long, 1.5-2 mm broad, elliptic, obtuse, margins thick, narrowed below to a short petiole, sparsely puberulous on all sides, with small gland-dots scattered mostly towards the prominent midrib, spreading-erect, opposite, decussate. Inflorescence terminal, solitary, 1 cm diam., white or pale pink. Bracts two, opposite, 3.3 mm long, 1.5 mm broad, one leaf-like, the other obovate, obtuse with the margins below translucent and ciliolate. Bracteoles two, 3 mm long, 1.4 mm broad, oblong, apex elevated, sub-acute and thick, midrib prominent, margins ciliate and broadly translucent below, outer surface sparsely puberulous, inner surface pubescent towards the middle. Calyx lobes five, 3 mm long, 1.5-1.7 mm broad, oblong, apex acute elevated wine-coloured, margins broadly translucent and ciliate, pubescent in the middle on the inner surface, minutely gland-dotted along the midrib and almost glabrous on the outer surface. Petals five, 7 mm long, 2.8 mm broad, clawed, pale pink or white; limb obovate, obtuse, apiculate, minutely ciliolate, gland-dotted towards the middle; claw bent inwards and sparsely puberulous at the throat, ciliolate. Staminodes five, 1.2 mm long, acicular, glabrous, apex glandular. Filaments five, becoming 2.3 mm long, erect, glabrous, acicular. Anthers five, before anthesis 1.6 mm long, 0.7 mm broad, yellow, with a pointed gland 0.2 mm long at the apex. Pollen 39 µ long, 26µ diam., oblong. Disc exceeds the ovary, narrow, green, exudes nectar, without lobes. Stigma 0.7 mm broad, globose, capitate, green, sticky. Style becoming 1.3 mm long, erect, glabrous, persisting. Ovary 5-carpellate, 0.75 mm diam., glabrous, each carpel retuse with a submerged gland at the apex. Fruit 5-carpellate, 7.5 mm long, 4 mm diam., imbricated below by the persistent calyx lobes and bracts; carpels green, margins fringed with small hairs, with short erect purplish horns bifid at the apex with a gland in the centre. Seed 4.5 mm long, 1.5 mm broad, black, shining.