Adenandra brachyphylla Schltdl.

A lanky, moderately branched shrublet, usually 40-80 cm high with ascending to suberect branches. Young branches puberulent, sometimes pubescent (hairs short, straight, unicellular), with thin ridges formed by decurrent leaf-bases; older branches glabrescent, defoliated, and marked with rather prominent leaf-scars forming a regular pattern; cortex brown, later ash-grey. Leaves rather densely set, patent to erecto-patent, rarely imbricated, coriaceous, usually glabrous, easily falling off in dried specimens; petiole 0.5 mm long, appressed, reddish; blade broadly ovate, 2.4-4.5 x 2.0-3.2 mm, more or less cordate at the base, moderately acute, with thickened margins, above smooth, below whitish-green with 2-4 glandular dots on each side of the prominent mid-vein. Lower leaves longer, especially in specimens sprouting after fires, often pubescent or ciliate. Uppermost leaves somewhat smaller, but hardly changed in shape, not forming an involucre. Flowers on 5-9 mm long pedicels in 2-4-flowered sub-umbels (rarely solitary); pedicel usually glabrous, but upper part sometimes pubescent. Bracts cuneate to obovate, 1.8-2.8 x 1.4-2.0 mm, carinate, glabrous, reddish along the upper margin. Bracteoles attached at or somewhat below the middle of the pedicel, cuneate to obovate, 2.0-2.8 x 0.9-1.7 mm, obtusely carinate, glabrous, reddish along the upper margin. Calyx 6.8 mm, divided to about 2/3, lower part sometimes pubescent, glandular-punctate; segments ovate to elliptic, 3.5-4.6 x 2.6-3.5 mm, moderately acute, slightly overlapping, subcarinate, thinner at the margins, upper part sometimes purple-spotted. Petals pink to brick-red outside, porcelain white inside; claw 2.5-3.5 mm long, minutely ciliate, abruptly widening into a broadly elliptic 8.5 mm long and 5.7-6.6 mm broad emarginate limb. Staminodes clavate, 4.5 mm long, patently pilose, apically expanded, long-pilose, and tipped by a glossy, reddish gland. Stamens: filaments tapering, pilose, 1.2-1.8 min long at anthesis; anthers ovoid, dorsifixed, versatile, 1.1-1.8 x 0.8-1.2 mm, glabrous or somewhat pilose, brown, tipped by a stipitate, capitate, reddish gland 0.3-0.4 mm across. Ovary globose, 1-1.5 mm across, papillate in the upper part (from dark purple, stipitate glands); style c. 1 mm long, recurved at anthesis; sigma capitate. Mature capsule somewhat shorter than the appressed calyx, minutely rugose, sparsely glandular-pubescent. Seeds ovoid, 2.7-3.2 x 1.8-2.1 mm.