Aspalathus neglecta T.M.Salter

An erect, much branched shrub 0.7-2 m tall, with main trunk basally up to more than 10 mm thick. Young branches densely villous or tomentose. Leaves of long-shoots alternate. Leaflets spreading, linear, needle-like, 6-13 mm long, ± angular, straight, rigid, spine-tipped (pungent) with sparse, half-spreading hairs; green when fresh, ferruginous when dry (withered). Inflorescence a terminal group of (1-)2-4 densely-grouped flowers or unifloral on short-shoots adjacent to the branch tips, so that the flowers are aggregated up to ±8 together. Flowers large, conspicuous. Bracts normally simple (rarely trifoliolate), with the leaflet similar to leaflets of vegetative leaves; (3-)5-12 mm long, 0.3-0.6 mm thick. Pedicel 1-2 mm long, tomentose. Bracteoles similar to the bract, (2.5-)4.5-10 mm long. Calyx tube sparsely tomentose (-sericeous); lobes linear-subulate, 5-10 mm long, straight, rigid, spine-tipped, ciliate with long hairs. Petals bright yellow-orange or ferruginous, in late stages bright or dark red. Standard blade obovate, (11-)12.5-17 x (9-)10.5-14 mm, densely tomentose on the back and usually short-hairy on apical marginal parts of front, apex obtuse, with a less than 1 mm long, glabrous hook. Wing blades narrowly ovate-elliptic, 7.5-12 x (2.5-)3-5 mm. Keel blades lunate, (9.5-)10-12 x (3.8-) 4.2-5.5 mm, with slightly concave upper margin and prominent basal pouch, the apical-lower parts usually sparsely sericeous, seldom totally glabrous. Wing and keel claws attached at the base to the staminal sheath. Pistil: ovary long-pubescent on apical half. Pod triangular-ovate, ±7-8 x 4-4.5 mm, tomentose at least on apical half; smooth, brown when ripe.