Erica schelpeorum E.G.H.Oliv. & I.M.Oliv.

Shrub erect, much branched, twiggy, 0.5-1.5 m tall, grey, single-stemmed reseeder. Branches: numerous, main branches 30-120 mm long and secondary branches 10-30 mm long; internodes 2-5 mm long; stem with short, spreading, simple hairs and fewer, long, gland-tipped hairs admixed. Leaves 4-nate, subspreading, incurved but not imbricate, oblong, 4-5 x 0.8-1.2 mm, with rounded margins, obtuse, finely short-haired on both surfaces, abaxially with scattered, long, gland-tipped hairs admixed, sulcus narrow, open at base; petiole ± 0.8 mm long, short-haired. Inflorescence: flowers 4-nate in 1-4 whorls umbel-like at apex of most main and secondary branches; pedicel 5-9 mm long, finely short-haired with a few, long, gland-tipped hairs admixed; bract not recaulescent, 2-3 x 0.6 mm, otherwise like leaf, green or pinkish red; bracteoles 2, just above mid position on pedicel, 1.5-2.2 x 0.3-0.6 mm, like miniature leaf with long petiole. Calyx 4-partite; segments broadly elliptic, ± 3 x 1.5 mm, adpressed to corolla, subacute, margins entire at base, slightly toothed/lobed in upper half, glabrous with upper sulcate region short-haired, purple-red often with green apical portion, sulcus narrow, 1/3 length of segment. Corolla 4-lobed, globose-urceolate, 4.0-4.5 x 3-4 mm, glabrous, whitish pink base to dark pink apex; lobes suberect to erect, ± 1 x 1.5 mm. broadly rounded, entire to slightly erase. Stamens 8, exserted; filaments free, linear-oblong, ± 2.6 x 0.25 mm, slightly widened towards base, straight or very slightly geniculate subapically, glabrous, white; anthers dorsally attached near base, lanceolate to oblong in adaxial view, bipartite, minutely appendiculate or muticous; thecae lanceolate in lateral view, ±1.1 x 0.4 mm, adpressed to slightly spreading, smooth, dark brown, spurs (when present) minute, pore ± '/3 length of theca; pollen in tetrads. Ovary 4-locular, very broadly obovoid, 1.5 x 1.7 mm, emarginate, 8-lobed, hairy with hairs longer at apex of lobes, with large nectaries around base; ovules 30-40 per locule spreading from placenta in upper 3/4 of locule; style exserted, ± 5 mm long, glabrous, white; stigma simple truncate. Fruit a dehiscent capsule, ± 1.8 x 2.8 mm, valves splitting 3/4 their length to 45° angle, septa only on valves, placentae large. Seed small, obovoid, rounded to sub-angular, ± 0.3 x 0.2 mm, orange; testa shallowly reticulate, not thick, cells 50-70 x 25 µm, anticlinal walls slightly thickened, jigsawed, inner periclinal walls sparsely pitted. Flowering time: this would appear to be autumn to early winter (May to July) but can be earlier when summer rains have occurred.