Aspalathus rubiginosa R.Dahlgren

Ascending shrub 0.3-0.8 m tall with spreading branches, dark reddish, ± woolly; the young parts paler and densely woolly. Leaflets narrowly linear-acicular, 5-18 mm long, 0.3-0.6 mm thick, terete or slightly angular, rigid to hardly rigid, subglabrous or with sparse, long hairs from ± distinct hair base tubercles. Inflorescence a compact terminal head of (2-)5-±15 flowers. Bracts trifoliolate, leaf-like, but situated on a woody, tomentose leaf stalk up to 1.5 mm long; leaflets similar to those of the vegetative leaves, 8-20 mm long; with long, spreading hairs. Pedicel less than 1 mm long, pubescent. Bracteoles similar to bract leaflets, 8-15 mm long. Calyx tube short, sparsely long-hairy or almost glabrous; lobes linear-needle-like, (7-)8-15(-16.5) mm long, as narrow as leaflets, rigid or ± flexible, tubercled, with long, spreading hairs. Petals yellow turning orange, dark red or ferruginous. Standard blade elliptic or obovate, 10-15 x 9.5-12.5 mm, sericeous or tomentose on the back, glabrous on the front, with an apical cusp or hook 0.2-1(-2) mm long. Wing blades narrowly ovate-elliptic, 10-12.7 x 4-5.5 mm. Keel blades narrowly lunate, 10-12.5 x 4-5.5 mm, glabrous, with slightly concave upper margin and prominent basal pouch. Wing and keel claws adnate at the base to the staminal sheath. Pistil: ovary long-woolly on apical upper parts. Pod triangular-ovate, 7-7.5 x 3.5-4.5 mm, brownish when ripe, long-hairy in apical half.