Aspalathus spinescens Thunb.

A much branched shrub (0.6-)0.8-2 m tall, with wide circumference. Branches varying from slender and weak, with leafy ends, to rigid, straight, spreading and ending as strong thorns; young branches sparsely or densely puberulous to glabrescent. Leaflets ovoid to linear, 1-5(-6.5) mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm thick, terete (or slightly flattened), obtuse to acute, straight (or slightly incurved), glabrous. Inflorescences unifloral or 2(-3)-flowered, on short-shoots, generally distributed in great numbers along considerable stretches of the branches. Bract triangular-subulate, 0.5-1 mm long, partly puberulous. Pedicel 2-3.5 mm long, short-pubescent. Bracteoles 0.4-1 mm long. Calyx tube campanulate, 2.3-2.7 mm, short-sericeous or puberulous or subglabrous. Petals light or bright yellow. Standard blade circular, 5-8 x 4.3-7.7 mm, rounded apically, sericeous on from less than half to three-quarters of the back (glabrous on basal-lateral parts). Wing blades oblong, 4-5.5(-6) x 1.5-2.7 mm, rounded, glabrous, with 2-5 rows of minute folds on upper basal parts. Keel blades (3.8-)4.2-5.6 x (2-)2.5-3.2 mm, sericeous at least on apical lower half, sometimes on most parts; upper margin ± straight. Pistil sericeous on upper parts of the ovary, and upper side of basal half of the style. Pod 10-12 x 3.5-4.5 mm, smooth, partly sparsely sericeous, brown when ripe.