Erica innovans E.G.H.Oliv.

Compact woody shrublet to 0.3 m tall, single-stemmed reseeder. Branches: numerous erect main branches each with 2-3 flowering lateral branchlets 2-15 mm long, vegetative growth continuing from apex of inflorescences, subglabrous with a few spines and a few hairs below point of attachment of leaves, no infrafoliar ridges. Leaves 3-or 4-nate, erect imbricate, 2.0 x 0.7 mm, ovate, adaxially flat, abaxially obtusely rounded, narrowly sulcate, glabrous or pubescent mainly towards margins, often with red sessile glands on edges and adaxial surface in young leaves; petiole 0-3 mm, adpressed, edged with a few sessile red glands. Inflorescence: flowers 3-or 4-nate and 5-8-verticillate in condensed head-like racemes, terminal on main and secondary branches; pedicel none; bract not recaulescent, always leaf-like in shape, size; bracteoles none. Calyx 3-lobed, 1.5 x 0.4 mm, tubular, acute-angular, angles alternating with lobes, with adaxial side 2x as wide as the other 2 sides, sulcus virtually non-existent represented by a subapical puberulous patch, glabrous, light pink to white; lobes 0.4 mm long, triangular, erect, ciliate with dense woolly hairs. Corolla 3-lobed, 5 x 1 mm, tubular, tapering and flat towards the base within calyx, glabrous minutely colliculate, pink; lobes 0.3 mm long, erect, broadly rounded, entire. Stamens 3(4), free, exserted; filaments linear, subapically papillate-aculeate, abaxially villous at apex; anthers basifixed, obovate, muticous; thecae 0.8 x 0.3 mm, oblong-elliptic, erect, mostly glabrous but villous with long erect hairs abaxially, red-brown; pore 1/3 the length of theca; pollen in monads. Ovary 1-locular, 0.4 x 0.2 mm, slightly asymmetrically oblong-ellipsoid, acute, glabrous, with large basal nectaries; ovule 1, pendulous, placenta apical; style 6.5 mm long, exserted; stigma simple truncate. Fruit indehiscent; pericarp very thin, papery, many crystals present; seed ellipsoid with very thin testa often adhering to pericarp, cells very elongate with jigsawed anticlinal walls, no pits.