Aspalathus cephalotes Thunb.

Erect or ascending shrub, usually 0.3-0.8(-2) m tall. Branchlets tomentose. Short-shoots usually with 6-15 leaflets. Leaflets linear-filiform, dull green, terete or slightly flattened, 4-10 mm long, sparsely hairy (hairs straight), glabrescent. Inflorescence a spike or head, elongate or globose, usually with 6-20 flowers. Bracts 5-11 mm long; those of lower flowers trifoliolate, those of flowers in middle part of the inflorescence trilobate and those of upper (inner) flowers simple. Bracteoles 4-9 mm long. Calyx sericeous, with lobes, linear-triangular, (2-)3.5-7 mm long. Petals pale violet or rose, rarely almost white, but keel always purple-violet. Standard 7-11 x (3.5-)4-7 mm. Wing blades 6-8.5 x 2-3 mm, sericeous on lower and apical parts. Keel blades 3.5-5 x 2-2.5 mm, densely sericeous. Pistil with pubescence short, restricted to style base. Pod4-6.5 x 2-4 mm.