Diosma thyrsophora Eckl. & Zeyh.

Shrubs up to 3 m tall arising from a single stem towards the base, (one plant 2.8 m tall, measuring 29 mm diam. at the base, showed about 19 growth rings); bark brown, becoming rough with horizontal scars. Branches erect, fairly slender, glabrous, brownish-red, the outer skin splitting off, often dividing irregularly in twos. Branchlets somewhat tufted, very slender, numerous, glabrous, spreading, alternate, yellowish, leafy, many eventually dying back and falling off. Leaves 4.5-6.5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm broad, much smaller on floral branchlets, linear-lanceolate, obtuse, glabrous, sessile, spreading-erect, alternate; margins eciliate, narrowly translucent with a few smaller immersed gland dots; midrib not prominent with gland dots scattered to either side; adaxially flat when fresh. Inflorescence terminal on very short branchlets, 1, 2 or rarely 3-nate; flowers 6 mm diam., pedicellate; petals white, widely spaced. Bract 0.9-1.4 mm long, 0.5 mm broad, deltoid or lanceolate, obtuse, glabrous, gland-dotted; apex glandular; margins below very narrowly translucent and sub-ciliolate. Bracteoles two, 0.9 mm long, 0.5 mm broad, oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, glabrous, 1 or 2 gland-dotted; apex thickened, glandular; margins translucent, very sparsely ciliolate below. Calyx lobes five, about 1.2 mm long, 1 mm broad, sub-orbicular, obtuse, glabrous, 3-4 gland-dotted; apex thickened, rather curled inwards; margins broadly translucent, sparsely ciliolate; supports the reflexed anthers before anthesis. Petals five, 2.3-2.6 mm long, 1.3-1.4 mm broad, oblong, obtuse, glabrous except for one or perhaps two long hairs on the adaxial surface, narrowing below to a short claw, white, soon delapsing; margins rather irregular with one or two setae. Staminodes five, a spherical gland at the outer edge of the disc, about 0.1 mm diam., becoming 0.2 mm long after the filaments have delapsed, persisting. Filaments five, becoming 1.5 mm long, acicular, pale, glabrous. Anthers five, 0.9 mm long, 0.7 mm broad, before anthesis, orange-coloured; apical gland pink, deflexed inwards. Pollen 57 µ long, 27 µ broad, oblong. Disc sinuate-crenulate, stands wide open, pink, exudes nectar. Stigma 0.25 mm diam., globose, green, capitellate, becoming sticky. Style becoming 1.6 mm long, terete, glabrous, purplish, deflexed at some stage. Ovary 5-carpellate, 0.8 mm diam., 0.7 mm long, glabrous; apices globose, green. Fruit 5-carpellate, 10 mm long, 8 mm diam., base pointed 1.5 mm long; carpels very pale green, glabrous, gland-dotted; horns very short, spreading, apex immersed-glandular. Seed 5-6 mm long, 2.5-3 mm broad, black, shining; aril black with a few stripes.