Aspalathus araneosa L.

A decumbent shrublet with up to 0.7 m long branches, up to 6 mm thick at the base; rather sparsely branched, with ascending, yellow-reddish, sparsely woolly branches. Leaflets linear-filiform, 5-10(-13) mm long and ±0.3-0.5 mm thick, slender, weak, usually curved, light green, slightly recurved near the acuminate apex, clothed with rather sparse, spreading, long hairs from distinct hair base tubercles. Inflorescence a dense terminal head of 5-15 flowers; below this ±3 or more lateral branches generally grow out superceding the head (terminated by new heads). Bracts predominantly trifoliolate (unifoliolate in centre of head), similar to vegetative leaves, situated on a 0.5-2 mm long, pale, short-hairy stalk adnate to the pedicel; bract leaflets 8-15 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm thick, with spreading, long hairs. Pedicel ±1 mm long, pubescent. Bracteoles linear, leaflet-like, 8.5-12 (-13.5) mm long. Calyx tube pale, sparsely long-sericeous (to subglabrous); lobes linear-filiform, 6.5-12(-13.5) mm long, flexible, ciliate with long, spreading hairs. Petals light yellow. Standard blade obovate, 8.5-13(-14) x 6.5-10(-11.3) mm, apically rounded, but with a short cusp less than 1 mm long, short-tomentose on the back, glabrous on the front. Wing blades narrowly ovate, 6.5-8.5(-9.5) x 2.8-3.8(-4.5) mm. Keel blades lunate, 6.5-8.7( 9.5) x 3.8-4.5(-5) mm, obtuse, glabrous, with almost straight upper margin. Wing and keel claws basally adnate to the staminal sheath. Pistil: ovary pubescent on at least upper apical (sometimes all) parts. Pod ±6 x 3 mm, at least apically woolly, dark when ripe.