Diosma arenicola I.Williams

Shrubs to 1.5 m tall, arising from a single stem at base. Branches fairly erect, variously bent, glabrescent; bark brown, somewhat roughened with leaf scars. Branchlets numerous, erect, short, fairly slender, densely pubescent, pale green, partly visible between the leaves. Leaves variable in size, in young plants up to 17 mm long, 3.3 mm broad, opposite; in mature plants 5.5-0.5 mm long, 2.4 mm broad, alternate, lanceolate, pungent, short-petiolate, spreading-erect; midrib sparsely pubescent, gland-dotted to either side; margins crisped ciliate, translucent. Inflorescence 1-4 nate, terminal, crowded; flower 8 mm diam., white, spreading. Bract 5-6 mm long, 1-2 mm broad, linear or lanceolate, red pointed, glabrous or sparsely pubescent along the midrib, without gland dots, margins shaggy ciliate, translucent. Bracteoles two, 4-4.3 mm long, 0.6 mm broad, linear, midrib pubescent, margins shaggy ciliate. Calyx lobes five, 3.5-4 mm long, 1.5-1.7 mm broad, deltoid, pungent; midrib sparsely pubescent below; margins broadly translucent, crisped ciliate. Petals five, 3-3.6 mm long, 1.8-2.3 mm broad, elliptic, recurved-apiculate, glabrous, sparsely ciliate, sessile. Staminodes absent. Filaments five, becoming 2.2 mm long, acicular, glabrous, pale, spreading. Anthers before anthesis 1.4-1.6 mm long, 0.8 mm broad, orange or purplish; apical gland globose, semi-immersed. Pollen 66 µ long, 28 µ broad, oblong. Disc 2.5 mm diam., opens widely, 5-sinuate-crenulate, thick, pale green, exudes nectar, exceeds the ovary by a long way. Stigma 0.25 mm diam., capitellate, pale green. Style becoming 1.3 mm long, deflexed at anthesis, persisting, glabrous. Ovary 5-carpellate, 0.8 mm long, 0.7 mm diam., glabrous, apices globose. Fruit 5-carpellate, 9 mm long, 7 mm diam., glabrous, oily, multi-gland-dotted, veined when dry; horns about 2 mm long, erect, red tipped with an immersed gland. Seed (including the aril) 5.5 mm long, 2.6 mm broad, black, shining.