Acmadenia nivenii Sond.

Shrubs 0.3-0.4 m tall, single-stemmed at base; one plant in ground not so recently burnt, 1 m tall, showed about 17 growth rings in a section of the stem about 12 mm diam. Branches not very numerous, lax, glabrous, bark greyish-brown, fairly smooth with small leaf scars. Branchlets fairly erect at first, not numerous, slender, mostly hidden by the appressed leaves, reddish and glabrous where exposed, very sparsely pubescent where protected by the leaves, often opposite. Leaves, on seedlings and young plants the lowest leaves are imbricated in 4 rows, when mature 6-8 mm long, 1.0-1.4 mm broad, linear-elliptic, obtuse, callused, crisped ciliate, glabrous, gland-dotted, sessile, adpressed erect, opposite, decussate; margins narrowly translucent. Inflorescence solitary, terminal on short branchlets of varying length; flowers about 20 mm diam., pink to red with a dark red midrib. Bracts, below the bracts are two pairs of reduced leaves about 3.5 mm long, the flower readily breaks off above the two bracts which are 4.4 mm long, 2 mm broad, broadly lanceolate or elliptic, glabrous; midrib green, gland-dotted, prominent with a blunt point; margins crisped ciliate, broadly translucent. Bracteoles two, 5 mm long, 3 mm broad, elliptic, glabrous, coloured; margins crisped ciliate, broadly translucent; midrib green, gland-dotted, prominent with a blunt elevated point. Calyx lobes five, 6 mm long, 3 mm broad, oblong-elliptic, glabrous, coloured; margins crisped ciliate, broadly-translucent; midrib green, gland-dotted, prominent with a blunt elevated apex. Petals five, 14 mm long overall; blade 9.5 mm long, 7 mm broad, orbicular, spreading, glabrous, multi-gland-dotted, ciliolate, somewhat apiculate with the apex minutely gibbous, midrib reddened below; claw 4.5-5 mm long, 2 mm broad above, narrowing to the base, ciliate, adaxially pubescent. Staminodes five, 2.6 mm long, acicular, glabrous, glandular translucent above, erect. Filaments five, becoming 3 mm long, acicular, glabrous, erect. Anthers five, before anthesis, 4 mm long overall including the apical gland, 1 mm broad, orange-red; apical gland stout, sharply pointed and hooked at the tip which exudes nectar. Pollen 78 µ long, 40 µ broad, oblong. Disc narrow, green, exceeds the ovary by a long way, touches the stigma. Style becoming 1.5-1.8 mm long, erect, green, glabrous, persisting. Ovary 5-carpellate, 0.9 mm long, 1 mm diam., glabrous, green, apices somewhat emarginate. Fruit 5-carpellate, more than half concealed by the persistent calyx lobes, 8-8.2 mm long, 5-5.4 mm diam., quite glabrous, gland-dotted mainly towards the margins; horns very short, erect, emarginate, 1.5-2 mm long; pedicel about 1 mm long or much less. Seed 5-5.2 mm long, 1.8-1.9 mm broad, black, shining; aril black on one side.