Erica parviporandra E.G.H.Oliv.

Erect woody somewhat willowy shrub up to 1.5 m tall, single-stemmed reseeder. Branches: numerous erect, main branches terminating in inflorescences or continuing vegetative growth, with many flowering secondary branches 1-5 mm long, pubescent to hirsute with simple hairs with occasional glands interspersed or with stellate to plumose hairs, no infrafoliar ridges. Leaves 3-nate, erect, partially imbricate, 1.6-2.5(3.0) x 0.5 mm, oblong to elliptic to lanceolate, adaxially flattened, abaxially rounded and narrowly sulcate, apex acute, edges acute, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, sometimes with strigose apices, sometimes edged with sessile glands; petiole adpressed, 0.3-0.5 mm long, glabrous, shortly ciliate. Inflorescence: flowers 3-nate in 1 whorl, sometimes only 1 or 2 flowers present, terminal on main branches or short secondary branchlets; pedicel none or very short and broad 0.1-0.2 mm long, glabrous or puberulous; bract fully recaulescent as abaxial calyx lobe; bracteoles 2, fully recaulescent as lateral calyx lobes. Calyx unequally 4-lobed, broadly campanulate to cyathiform, tube sometimes 4-angled; abaxial large lobe ±1/2-3/4 length of calyx, 0.6-1.7 mm long, broadly deltoid to narrowly ovate, acute, leaf-like from a broad base, equal to corolla tube to slightly longer than whole corolla, other lobes broadly deltoid acute or obtuse, 1/4-1/3 calyx, all lobes apically narrowly sulcate, glabrous and ciliate or totally puberulous, sometimes edged with sessile glands. Corolla 4-lobed, 1.1-1.5 x 1.0-1.3 mm, obovoid to broadly cyathiform, glabrous or puberulous, green tinged red; lobes erect to incurved, 1/4 the length of corolla, broad, subacute, entire to erase, occasionally ciliolate. Stamens (5)6,7(8), included to manifest; filaments 0.3-0.7 mm long, free or occasionally joined to 1/2 way, straight, glabrous; anthers dorsally attached near base, bilobed, cuneate to obovoid, muticous; thecae 0.4-0.9 mm long, elliptic to subtriangular, subglabrous to tuberculate-hispid above and in front; pore 1/8-1/4 the length of theca, subapically placed in large anthers or centrally placed in small anthers; pollen in tetrads. Ovary 1-locular, 0.4-0.5 x 0.3-0.4 mm, broadly rhomboid-ellipsoid, usually with 4 distinct longitudinal ridges in upper half, glabrous to papillose to puberulous to villous mainly along ridges in upper half, when glabrous then colliculate; ovules 2 per locule, pendulous, placenta apical; style very short, 0.3-0.1 mm, funnel-shaped and merging into the stigma; stigma manifest to slightly exserted, 0.8-1.0 mm broad, cyathiform-funnel-shaped, glabrous to sparsely puberulous or papillate beneath. Fruit indehiscent, up to 1.3 x 1.3 mm, broadly ellipsoid, obovoid or ovoid, slightly flattened laterally, pubescent all over or glabrous with varying degree of random to longitudinal reticulation of ridges; pericarp soft to leathery, mesocarp thin with many crystals, endocarp well thickened and lignified; seeds often only 1 per fruit, testa hard, cells not invaginated, subequilateral, appearing straight-edged but lower down with slightly undulate radial walls, pitted. Flowering time: Mainly August to December but also other times.