Euchaetis cristagalli I.Williams

Shrubs 0.3-0.5 m tall, lax and somewhat diffuse in low fynbos, arising from a single stem at ground level. Branches terete, lax, slender, few in number, dichotomous, reddish-brown, becoming glabrous with the cuticle splitting off. Branchlets few in number, erect, very slender, reddish-brown, puberulous, not hidden by the leaves. Leaves 6-19 mm long (mostly ±9 mm), 1-1.3 mm broad, linear-lanceolate, acute, mucronate, short-petiolate, glabrous, alternate, adpressed-erect, erect or on low shoots spreading; margins narrowly translucent, minutely ciliolate-serrulate; adaxial surface concave; abaxial surface convex, gland-dotted on either side of the midrib. Inflorescence terminal, solitary, on much reduced branchlets crowded together into small groups. Bract 1.3-3.7 mm long, 0.6-0.9 mm broad, asymetrically oblong, obtuse, glabrous; apex with a small blunt mucro; margins translucent, in part minutely ciliolate-serrulate; abaxial surface gland-dotted to either side of the midrib. Bracteoles two, 1.1 mm long, 0.5-0.6 mm broad, elliptic, obtuse, glabrous; apex with a minute blunt mucro; margins broadly translucent, minutely ciliolate; abaxial surface minutely gland-dotted. Calyx lobes five, 2.5 mm long, 1.2-1.3 mm broad at the base, lanceolate, glabrous; apex somewhat obtuse with a minute reddish mucro; margins broadly translucent, minutely ciliolate; abaxial surface with numerous minute gland dots to either side of the midrib. Petals five, 5.5 mm long, white, spreading 7.5 mm diam., soon falling away; limb 3.5 mm long, 1.8 mm broad, elliptic, sub-acute, abaxial surface obscurely gland-dotted to either side of the midrib; claw 2 mm long, 1.1 mm broad, somewhat translucent, strongly transversely bearded, ciliate. Staminodes five, reduced to a minute swelling ±0.2 mm diam., on the outer surface of the disc at the base of the petal. Filaments five, becoming 1.3 mm long, acicular, glabrous, incurved erect. Anthers five, before anthesis 1.1 mm long, 0.75 mm broad, wine-coloured with a minute globose gland clasped at the apex. Pollen 50 µ long, 21 µ broad, oblong. Disc dark green, fleshy, level on top, surrounds and exceeds the ovary but does not close over it at first. Stigma 0.35 mm diam., capitellate, globose, green. Style erect, glabrous, becoming 1.3 mm long. Ovary 5-carpellate, 0.6 mm long, 0.6 mm diam., glabrous; carpels with globose apices. Fruit 5-carpellate, 5.5-6.5 mm long, 4.3 mm diam., glabrous, green, minutely gland-dotted, becoming striate veined when dry; horns 1 mm long, erect. Seed 3.5-3.8 mm long, 1.6-1.8 mm broad, black, shining; aril encased in black.