Diosma pilosa I.Williams

Shrubs 30-60 cm tall, diffuse, with many slender branches arising from a single stem near the base. Branches erect, glabrous, slender, fairly smooth, dichotomous. Branchlets erect, very slender, with the pubescence so short that the surface appears to be minutely scabrid, gland-dotted, yellow in colour, well covered by the leaves. Leaves 6-7 mm long, 1 mm broad, linear, acute, callused, apex bent slightly inwards, translucent margins at first ciliolate becoming eciliate, glabrous, gland-dotted on both sides, sessile, adpressed, erect, scattered. Inflorescence terminal, reduced racemose. Flowers opening in succession, 6-7 mm diam., white with a red centre. Bract 1.8-2.8 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm broad, narrowly lanceolate, acute, with a red callus, translucent margins narrow, minutely ciliolate. Bracteoles two 1.3 mm long, 0.4 mm broad, lanceolate, acute, red callused, translucent margins minutely serrulate, glabrous except for a few indistinct hairs on the adaxial surface. Calyx lobes five, 2 mm long, 1 mm broad, lanceolate, acute, apex indexed, translucent margins sparsely and minutely ciliolate, outside glabrous, reddened, with many gland dots, inside somewhat pubescent. Petals five, 3.5 mm long, 1.8 mm broad, ovate, sub-sessile, narrowed to the base, white, with gland dots and with from two to seven weak hairs 1.5 mm long near the midrib, margins serrulate with a few minute hairs. Staminodes five, virtually absent, a somewhat paler red dot on the disc. Filaments five, becoming 1.2 mm long, glabrous, wine coloured, inflexed at first. Anthers five, before anthesis 0.8 mm long, 0.7 mm broad, globose, wine coloured, the apical gland becoming sticky at anthesis. Pollen ±49µ long. 22µ diam., oblong. Disc 5-sinuate. 5-crenulate at first, becoming less so after anthesis, wine coloured, exudes nectar, exceeds the ovary but stands open. Stigma 0.2 mm diam., capitellate, globose, dark red. Style at first deflexed, becoming 0.8 mm long, erect, glabrous. Ovary 5-capellate, 0.6 mm diam., carpels glabrous, globose, reddened at the apex. Fruit 5-carpellate, about 6 mm long, 5.5 mm diam., glabrous, with numerous small gland dots, horns very short with a recessed gland at the apex. Seed 4.5 mm long, 2.2 mm broad, black, shining.