Erica inflaticalyx E.G.H.Oliv.

Erect virgate shrublet to 600 mm tall, single-stemmed reseeder. Branches: a few long erect main branches with vegetative apical growth and numerous secondary flowering branchlets 2-30 mm long, puberulous with shortly stalked glands admixed, becoming sticky, main stem internodes up to 5 mm long and secondary branch internodes 1 mm long. Leaves 3-nate, erect and subimbricate to recurved, 1.5-4.0 x 0.4-0.6 mm, oblanceolate, obtuse, ab-and adaxially rounded in upper half becoming flattened at base, narrowly sulcate to semi-sulcate, glabrous, edged with sessile glands sometimes also in sulcus; petiole 0.3 mm long, adpressed, puberulous, edged with sessile glands. Inflorescence: flowers 3-nate in 1(2) whorls, when 2 then umbel-like, terminal on short secondary or tertiary branchlets; pedicel 0.3 mm long, puberulous; bract partially recaulescent, approximate to calyx, 0.5 x 0.2 mm, oblong, with small apical sulcus, leaf-like to bracteose, puberulous, edged with sessile glands; bracteoles 2, 0.4 x 0.2 mm, bracteose same as bract. Calyx 4-lobed, 1 x 1 mm, cyathiform, very sparsely puberulous, pink, lobes about 1/2 the length of calyx, edged with sticky sessile glands, the whole calyx enlarging considerably and inflating in fruiting stage up to 1.5 x 1.8 mm, oblate and markedly obtuse-angled, in the fresh state white, glassy, cucullate becoming thin and papery in texture when dried. Corolla 4-lobed, 1.5-2.5 x 1.3-2.0 mm, obovoid, colliculate, pink, lobes erect, 0.2 mm long, rounded to acute. Stamens 4, free, exserted; filaments 2.5-4.0 mm long, linear, straight; anthers dorsally attached near base, spurred; thecae 0.6-1.3 x 0.3 mm, oblong, subfalcate, glabrous, dark brown; pore 1/4 the length of theca; spurs arising laterally from apex of filament, 0.3-0.7 x 0.05 mm, pendulous, somewhat thick; pollen in monads. Ovary 2-locular, 0.5 x 0.4 mm, ovoid, acute, puberulous at apex, glabrous below, with well developed nectaries around base; ovules 1 per locule, pendulous, placenta apical; style 5.2 mm long, far exserted, straight, glabrous; stigma minutely cyathiform to peltate. Fruit indehiscent, ellipsoid, 1.2 mm long; pericarp thin and papery, colliculate, with many crystals; seeds ellipsoid with thin testa, cells elongate with undulate anticlinal walls, with no pits. Flowering time: This would appear to be from June to September.