Aspalathus vulnerans Thunb.

An erect, much branched shrub or small, slender tree from ±1 to more than 3 m tall, branched near the base or with a trunk up to more than 20 mm thick. Branches rather slender, spreading, yellow to ferruginous and puberulous to subglabrous on the youngest parts. Leaflets spreading, subulate-acicular, 5-20 mm long, straight, rigid, glabrous, very prickly, ending in a spine up to more than 1.5 mm long. Inflorescences short, compact racemes (or umbels) of 3-6(-11) closely situated flowers on non-pedunculate branchlets. Bract subulate-acicular, 1.5-4 mm long, rigid-subglabrous. Pedicel 1.2-2 mm long. Bracteoles 0.4-2 mm long. Calyx tube glabrous; lobes 1.2-2.7 mm long, tapering from a broad base into sharp, yellow spines ±1-1.5 mm long. Petals bright yellow. Standard blade 6.3-8 x 4.2-5.2 mm, apically strongly incurved and apiculate-mucronate, short-sericeous on most of the back. Wing blades 4-5.8 x 1.6-2.1(-2.4) mm, glabrous. Keel blades lunate-subrostrate, 5.2-7 mm long and 2.7-3.7 mm broad near the middle with tapering apex and concave upper margin, short-sericeous on lower-apical half or more. Pistil short-sericeous on the ovary and style base. Pod broadly triangular-lanceolate, 8.5-12 x 3-4 mm, short-sericeous on most parts.