Diosma aspalathoides Lam.

Shrubs 1-1.3 m tall with several stems arising from an underground stump of great age, not burnt off for many years. Branches erect, variously bent, stiff, wiry, soon leafless, glabrous; bark light brown becoming grey, the uppermost knotty with leaf scars. Branchlets numerous, short, erect, very slender, pale green sparsely and minutely puberulous, not hidden by the leaves. Leaves vary from 10 mm long, 1.3 mm broad on young shoots to 2.7 mm long, 1.2 mm broad on short flowering branchlets, linear-elliptic, acute or sub-obtuse, short-petiolate, glabrous, alternate, spreading-erect; apex recurved, in longer leaves with a sharp point, in shorter leaves rather blunt with the mucro deflected outwards; hyaline margins smooth or irregularly denticulo-serrulate; abaxially round keeled with a row of gland dots to either side. Inflorescence terminal; flowers pedicellate, up to three in a reduced raceme, 9-10 mm diam., green in the centre with white petals; buds large, globose, slightly acute at the apex. Bract 2.5-2.8 mm long, 1.1-1.3 mm broad, lanceolate-oblong, obtuse with a blunt callus, glabrous, spreading; hyaline margins somewhat irregularly serrulate, very sparsely ciliolate at base; abaxial surface gland-dotted to either side of the prominent midrib. Bracteoles two, 1.7-2 mm long, 0.9 mm broad, lanceolate-oblong, obtuse with a small blunt callus, glabrous, spreading; hyaline margins rather narrow, irregularly serrulate; abaxial surface gland-dotted to either side of the midrib. Calyx lobes five, 2.2 mm long, 2 mm broad, deltoid, obtuse, glabrous; hyaline margins very sparsely and minutely ciliolate below; abaxial surface with two rows of gland dots. Petals five, 3.5 mm long, 3 mm broad, orbicular, glabrous, white, spreading, sessile, connate with the lobe of the disc at the base. Staminodes none. Filaments five, becoming 2.7 mm long, acicular, spreading, glabrous. Anthers five, 1.3 mm long, 1.1 mm broad, yellow; apical gland semi-immersed, globose. Pollen 53 µ long, 28 µ broad, elliptic. Disc 4 mm diam., sinuate-crenulate, standing open, green, fleshy, exudes nectar. Stigma 0.3 mm diam., capitellate, green, globose. Ovary 5-carpellate, 0.9 mm long, 1.2 mm diam., glabrous; apices obtuse. Fruit 5-carpellate, 14 mm long, 10 mm diam., glabrous, gland-dotted, short-pedicellate above the calyx; horns 1.5-4 mm long, spreading at 45°. Seed 5.8-6.3 mm long, 2.5 mm broad, black, shining; aril white. The plants grow in deep sand and possess a stout root which can withstand veld fires and the very disturbing activities of the mole rat. The leaves on the same plant are variable. Those on vigorously growing shoots are the longest and possess a pungent mucro and those on the upper branchlets of mature plants are short and recurved with a blunt mucro.