Aspalathus acanthoclada R.Dahlgren

An erect, amply branched shrub (0.4-)0.6-1 m tall, with spreading, virgate, rigid branches, the old ones light grey to ivory white, the young ones pale yellowish, ending in strong, rigid thorns. Young branches short-sericeous or puberulous, glabrescent. Leaflets ovoid to sausage-shaped, 1-3(-4) mm long, 0.5-1 mm thick, terete, straight or slightly incurved, obtuse, glabrous (or with stray hairs). Inflorescence unifloral, on the apex of a puberulous, leafless, 5-10 mm long peduncle. Bract conical (to broadly subulate), 0.6-1.2 x 0.3-0.5 mm, puberulous. Pedicel 1.5-3 mm long, puberulous. Bracteoles slightly smaller than the bract. Calyx campanulate, sparsely to densely puberulous (to short-sericeous); lobes broadly triangular, 0.4-0.8 mm long, obtuse to subacute, pale green, subglabrous, apices ± incurved. Petals pale lemon or standard ± violet. Standard blade broadly obovate-obtriangular, 6.3-9.5 x 4.3-7.5 mm, rounded-retuse at apex, short-sericeous on the back, glabrous on the front. Wing blades oblong to narrowly obovate, 4-6.3 x 1.5-2.7 mm, glabrous or ± puberulous on lower apical parts, basally with 6 or more rows of minute folds. Keel blades 5.2-8 x (2-)2.5-3.5 mm, slightly arched, densely short-sericeous on lower half, upper margin concave, basal puckering indistinct. Pistil sericeous on upper half of ovary and style base. Pod 11-12.5 x 4-4.5 mm, short-sericeous on most parts.