Diosma acmaephylla Eckl. & Zeyh.

Shrubs 0.5-2.5 m tall, erect, arising from a single stem towards the base, a stem 45 mm diam. showed ±20 growth rings. Branches forked, curved upwards, glabrous; bark smooth, reddish-brown, leafless. Branchlets slender, erect, quite short, minutely, puberulous, not hidden by the leaves. Leaves 5-26 mm long, 0.8-1.3 mm broad, linear, sub-terete, sessile, alternate in 5 spirals, erect; apex acute with a sharp recurved mucro; margins rounded, narrowly or not in the least translucent, eciliate or sparsely ciliolate or serrulate; adaxial surface rounded, glabrous, with gland dots scattered in two or more rows. Inflorescence solitary, sessile, terminal on very much reduced branchlets in groups. Bract 1.6 mm long, 0.8 mm broad, ovate-lanceolate, acute, apiculate; margins ciliolate mainly below; adaxial surface crisped pubescent; abaxial surface glabrous, gland-dotted. Bracteoles two, 1.1 mm long, 0.7 mm broad, ovate, acute with a very small callus at the apex, ciliolate, adaxially pubescent, abaxially sparsely pubescent to either side of the midrib. Calyx lobes five, 1.4 mm long, 1.2 mm broad, ovate, five, 2.5 mm long, 1.9 mm broad, sub-orbicular, sparsely ciliolate-serrulate above, abaxially puberulous above, pure white. Staminodes none. Filaments five, becoming 1.5 mm long, acicular, glabrous. Anthers before anthesis 1.1 mm long, 0.7 mm broad, yellow; apical gland globose, sessile, translucent. Pollen 61 µ long, 30 µ diam., oblong. Disc 5-sinuate-crenulate, bright green, exceeds the ovary by a long way, stands open, exudes nectar. Stigma 0.3 mm diam., capitellate, green. Style at first deflexed becoming 1.5 mm long, glabrous. Ovary 5-carpellate, 0.6 mm long, 0.8 mm diam., glabrous, apices globose. Fruit 5-carpellate, 8-1.5 mm long, glabrous, 1-2 mm pedicellate above the calyx; horns 2-6 mm long, projecting at 45° with an immersed gland at the apex. Seed 7.3-7.7 mm long overall, 2.6-2.9 mm broad, black, matt; aril black and white streaked.