Aspalathus compacta R.Dahlgren

A low, prostrate shrub forming circular mats on the ground, with slack branches, up to more than 0.8 m long, radiating from a common centre. Young branches rather slender, slightly angular, greenish, with sparse but long, spreading hairs (cf. the woolly pubescence of A. lanifera). Leaves simple, flat, lanceolate, 15-22(-27) x 2-3.8 mm, sharply spine-tipped, glabrous, light green, with smooth margins; the lower side with 3 prominent veins beside the marginal ones; area between veins rugulose. Inflorescence a terminal, unifloral or a bifloral racemule; the inflorescence axis rather short, less than 10 mm long. Bract linear-subulate, 3.6-8 x 0.5-0.8 mm, spine-tipped, ± flat, green, with sparse, long, patent hairs. Pedicel 3.5-6 mm long, with few patent hairs. Bracteoles (2-)3-5.5 mm long. Calyx tube infundibular-campanulate, with sparse, long and spreading hairs; lobes very narrowly triangular, 2.7-4 mm long, subglabrous, tapering into pointed apices. Petals light yellow or standard back partly purplish. Standard blade obovate, 7.8-9.2 x 8.5-9.6 mm, rounded-obtuse but with a 'tip', sericeous or partly tomentose on the back. Wing blades oblong, 6.3-7.4 x 2.5-3.8 mm. Keel blades 5.2-5.6 x 3-3.5 mm, almost pointed, with slightly concave upper margin. Pistil glabrous except for some pubescence on upper basal parts of the ovary; ovules 6 or 7. Pods not seen.