Erica tarantulae E.G.H.Oliv.

Shrublets low, semi-sprawling up to 160 mm tall. Branches trigonous with no distinct infrafoliar ridges, puberulous when young, soon becoming glabrous, bark splitting irregularly and with small infrafoliar flakes. Leaves 3-nate, erect, adpressed, 1.5-2.0 x 0.8 mm, narrowly ovate to elliptic, convex and sulcate abaxially with sharp edges, flat adaxially, puberulous towards base adaxially and sparsely ciliolate with hairs and a few stalked, red, gland-tipped hairs, otherwise glabrous; petiole ± 0.3 mm long, ciliolate, glabrous abaxially, puberulous adaxially. Flowers 3-6 at ends of main and short lateral branchlets, mostly pendulous; pedicel ± 0.3 mm long, glabrous; bract approximate, 1.3 x 1.0 mm, broadly ovate, sulcate in upper half, glabrous, ciliolate with hairs and stalked red glands, rose pink; bracteoles approximate, like bract, but 1.2 x 0.8 mm. Calyx 4-partite, segments 2.0 x 1.3 mm, elliptic to ovate, shortly sulcate apically, glabrous, ciliolate with hairs and some stalked red glands, rose pink. Corolla 4-lobed, 4.5 x 2.5 mm, obconical, glabrous, rose pink, lobes quarter the length of corolla, broadly obtuse, erect to slightly spreading. Stamens 8, included to manifest; filaments ± 2 mm long, linear, slightly bent backwards below anther; anthers dorsally attached near base, appendiculate, thecae ± 0.7 mm long, oblong-falcate, obtuse, roughly papillate, crests very variable in shape and size even on same anther, large, fleshy, variously serrate, sometimes erect, pore half the length of theca; pollen in tetrads. Ovary 4-locular and 4-lobed, 1.0 x 0.8 mm, broadly ellipsoid and emarginate, sparsely puberulous apically, with nectary glands basally, 6-8 ovules per locule, pendulous on subglobose placenta in upper half; style ± 4 mm long, narrow cylindrical, exserted, papillate apically; stigma simple to subpeltate. Capsule ellipsoid, 1.3 x 0.8 mm, reddish brown with much darker base, valves splitting to base, septa almost free from axis; seeds 0.5-0.6 mm long, subtrigonous-ellipsoid, yellowish brown, finely and closely reticulate, reticulations tangentially finely undulate.