Anthospermum basuticum Puff

Dioecious dwarf shrub, many-stemmed, cushion-or mat-forming or ± erect and cylindrical. Stems (40-)100-300(-500) mm long, erect to ± prostrate, mostly much branched, branches often ascending, densely hairy, ± densely leafy. Leaves decussate, often pseudo-verticillate; blades often curved upwards or ascending, 2.5-5(-6) x 0.8-1.2(-1.8) mm, narrowly lanceolate, often seemingly terete due to strongly revolute margins, upper surface densely covered with white spreading hairs 0.1-0.3(-0.6) mm long, lower surface often glabrous except for midrib; petioles subobsolete; stipular sheath with a hairy seta. Flowers subsessile, usually paired at nodes; corolla 4-merous, yellowish to yellowish green, usually hairy outside, ('male'): tube 0.7-1 mm long, broadly funnel-shaped to subcampanulate, lobes (1.4-)1.7-2.3 x 0.6-1.1 mm; anthers 1-1.6 mm long ('female'): tube ±0-0.3 mm long, lobes 0.5-1 x 0.2-0.5 mm; style 0; stigmas 2, (2-)3-6(-7.5) mm long; ovary 1-1.2 x 0.8 mm, mostly densely hairy, with 4 calyx lobes. Fruit greyish or greyish brown; mericarps 2-2.5 x 1-1.5 mm, ± obovate, mostly densely covered with white spreading hairs 0.1-0.3(-0.5) mm long, with 2 somewhat hairy, ± triangular erect to spreading calyx lobes 0.5-0.8 x 0.3-0.5(-0.7) mm.