Hermannia rigida Harv.

Shrublet, rigid, fairly laxly branched, virgate, up to about 1 m tall; branchlets pubescent with fringed scales, hairs short, intermixed with fairly long hairs grouped on tubercled bases, minute gland-tipped hairs usually present as well, apical portion of branchlets persisting as dry slender twigs. Stipules narrowly to broadly ovate-acuminate, often broad-based and abruptly long-acuminate above, tomentose at least dorsally and occasionally long hairs present as well, 3-8 mm long, 1-3 mm broad near base, on old wood only prominent scars left. Leaves petiolate, at first clustered on undeveloped shoots; blade obovate, oblong-cuneate, ovate-cuneate or suborbicular in young leaves, 5-30 mm long, 5-12 mm broad, crenulate except on cuneate base, somewhat crisped or plaited, at first tomentose on both surfaces with fairly long appressed hairs, undersurface whitish, older leaves subglabrescent, nerves impressed above, prominent beneath, somewhat flabellate; petiale 2-10 mm long. Inflorescence of 1-to 3-flowered cymes, more usually 1-flowered, arranged in lax, terminal racemes; peduncle aborted or abbreviated; pedicels fairly stout, 5-9 mm long; bracts ovate-acuminate (like the stipules), about 5 mm long; bracteoles subulate to lanceolate-acuminate, 3-7 mm long. Calyx finely stellate-pubescent especially at base, sometimes long hairs present as well, 5-7 mm long, lobed to above middle, sinuses wide. Petals bright yellow fading reddish, about 10 mm long, oblong above, narrowed into a claw with infolded margins, glabrous except for minute stellate pubescence on margins of infolded lower portion. Stamens with oblong-obovate, hyaline filaments about 4.5 mm long, minutely and sparsely stellate on shoulders; anthers about 2.5 mm long, ciliate, overlapping filaments for about 1 mm. Ovary about 2.5 mm long, 5-lobed, densely stellate-pubescent on angles and with long erect hairs at apices; stipe 0.75 mm long; styles about 4 mm long. Capsule 5-8 mm long with persistent calyx at base, 5-angled, 5-umbonate, finely stellate-pubescent to glabrescent between sutures, more coarsely so on angles and at apex.