Aspalathus lotoides Thunb.

Decumbent to procumbent shrublets, not rising more than 0.15 m above the ground; branches usually not more than 0.3 m, rarely up to 0.5 m long. Young branches with white, half-spreading pubescence. Leaves trifoliolate, with rather strong differentiation between long-shoots and short-shoots. Leaflets of long-shoots on an inconspicuous leaf base, oblanceolate, 12(-15) x 0.6-2(-3.5) mm, pale green, densely or sparsely sericeous; short-shoot leaves smaller, sparsely sericeous. Inflorescence an ovate spike, usually not more than 1.5(-2) times as long as broad, 10-40(-80) mm long, with (3-)6-15(-25) flowers, situated at rather short intervals from each other. Bract narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 3-8 x 0.8-2(-2.5) mm, weak, sericeous, acute-acuminate. Pedicel infinitely short. Bracteoles lanceolate, (2-)4-7 x 0.5-2.5 mm. Calyx tube urceolate-campanulate, long-sericeous; lobes linear-triangular, 1.5-3.5(-4.5) mm long, tapering, weak, sericeous, not or only slightly recurved. Petals pale yellow, the claws ± two-thirds the length of the blades. Standard blade elliptic, 8(-10) x 4-6(-7) mm, obtuse to acute, sericeous on the back, often with some dark streaks in the centre. Wing blades narrowly and obliquely ovate or oblong, 4.5-6(-7) x 2-3.2(-3.5) mm, sericeous on the lower two-thirds, basally with several rows of minute folds. Keel lunate, 3.2-5(-5.5) x 1.5-2.7(-3) mm, with upper margin slightly S-curved, sericeous on most parts. Pistil sericeous on most parts of ovary and on style base; ovules 5-9 (usually 6).