Aspalathus microphylla Dc.

A decumbent or ascending, loosely and sparingly branched shrublet, with often straight and spreading, but slender branches, 0.3-more than 1 m long. Young branches densely set, the long-shoot leaves of young branches with unequal leaflets, the middle often 2-3 times as long as the lateral, all ± erect, tightly pressed against the stem; older branches generally with ± spreading (short-shoot) leaflets. Axillary leafy short-shoot soon developed. Leaflets conical to linear, 0.6-4(-6) mm long, terete or ± angular, mucronulate, straight, rigid, glabrous. Flowers solitary or in pairs (rarely 3) on the branch tips, if more than 1 then from ± the same point. Bract caducous, lanceolate, subulate, 1.3-3.5 mm long, apically spine-tipped, subglabrous, deeply grooved adaxially. Pedicel 0.7-2.3 mm long, white-pubescent. Bracteoles 1.1-3.2 mm long. Calyx tube longitudinally ridged, ± appressed-puberulous; lobes triangular-lanceolate, subglabrous, (0.7-)1-3 mm long including an apical spinelet ±0.5 mm long. Petals yellow or partly violet, with short claws. Standard blade 5-7(-7.8) x 4.5-6(-6.5) mm, obtuse(-subacute), laterally ± incurved, short-sericeous at least on apical part of the back. Wing blades 3.5-5(-5.5) x 1.5-2.7(-3.3) mm, apically rounded, glabrous. Keel glabrous (rarely slightly puberulous apically), strongly upcurved (at ±100-120 degrees), upper-apical part exserted, square, length ±(4-)4.5-5.5 mm, greatest breadth 2.2-2.8 mm, with distinct or indistinct basal puckering. Pistil densely short-sericeous on upper parts of ovary and style base. Pod triangular-lanceolate, 7.5-10 x 3-4 mm, sparsely short-sericeous on upper and apical parts.