Aspalathus ulicina Eckl. & Zeyh.

An erect, branched shrub (0.2-)0.6-1.5 m tall with straight, spreading branches. Young branches yellowish or reddish, villous to woolly; floriferous branchlets with 1-2 (rarely more) long, peduncle-like internodes below the lowest (or only) flower. Leaflets spreading, sharply subulate, 4-20 mm long, basally 0.5-0.8 mm thick, straight (to slightly recurved), subterete or ± angular, rigid, tapering into a longer than 2 mm, pungent spine; glabrous or often with sparse, spreading hairs. Inflorescence unifloral or more often 2-8-flow-ered, then comprising a terminal raceme with the flowers at less than 1 to more than 5 mm distance; raceme (solitary flower) terminating a branchlet with one or two 15-50 mm long internodes. Bract subulate-acicular, 2.5-4.5 mm long, rigid, half the length comprising a spinelet. Pedicel 0.8-2 mm long, sparsely pubescent or subglabrous. Bracteoles 1.5-3.5 mm long. Calyx tube glabrous, smooth; lobes 1.5-3 mm long, with a deltoid-triangular, green base tapering into a sharp spine. Petals light yellow or standard often ± violet on the back. Standard blade 5.2-9 x 3.5-6 mm, acute or obtuse, often with a 'tip'; densely short-sericeous on the back. Wing blades 4.5-6.2 x 1.7-2.2 mm, glabrous or occasionally with some pubescence on the lower parts. Keel blades lunate, 5-8 x 2.1-4.1 mm, obtuse, sericeous on most parts, with slightly concave upper margin. Pistil shortly pubescent on top of the ovary and basal half of the style, otherwise glabrous. Pod triangular-lanceolate, 9-12 x 3.5-4.1 mm, smooth, yellowish grey, with short hairs at least on apical parts.