Kedrostis psammophila Bruyns

Plant with carrot-shaped to cylindrical tuber up to 200 x 100 mm or more, usually at least 150 mm beneath soil surface and pale grey-brown with white flesh, with several smaller subsidiary tubers produced elsewhere along stems, very strongly foetid, monoecious. Stems soft, creeping horizontally to 1 m or more and extensively branched beneath soil surface, cylindrical, white; portions above ground usually not more than 150 mm long, clustered, horizontally spreading, bearing leaves along whole length, grey-green, hairy. Leaves palmately 3-to 5-lobed often to at least halfway but sometimes ± entire, 6-20 x 10-25 mm, segments irregularly dentate, almost all of equal size, grey-green, hairy on both sides; petiole 8-15 mm long, grooved above, setose. Tendrils and stipules none. Flowers unisexual, male and female quite different and borne separately, inflorescences arising from underground stems. Male flowers on peduncle ± 80.0 x 1.5-2.0 mm of which usually 50 mm protruding from soil bearing 25 or more flowers, green and pilose above ground, white and glabrous below; bracts ± 4 mm long, often with few small teeth on margin, lanceolate, spreading; pedicel 12-22 mm long, slightly over 1 mm thick; calyx green, pilose outside, receptacle ± 4 mm long; sepals 1.5-2.0 x ± 1.5 mm, acute; corolla lobes spreading with recurved obtuse tips, 5-7 x 3 mm at base, outside green and pilose, inside green with darker longitudinal stripes, fine hairs, and yellow multicellular short clavate papillae towards edge and apex; anthers 3, white, erect, ± 3 mm long, very hairy inside around base, one small with 1 locule, two larger with 2 locules each. Female flowers on subterranean peduncle 0-20 x 1.0-1.5 mm, bearing 1 flower and 1-2 small bracts at apex, white, glabrous; pedicel curving downwards, ± 2 mm thick, white with few scattered hairs; calyx pale yellow, sparsely and finely pilose, smooth; receptacle initially horizontal then erect, cylindrical and solid, 35-70 x 2-3 mm, widening to 5-6 mm in last 5 mm, mostly subterranean; sepals to 2 mm long, lanceolate; corolla lobes 10-12 x 3-4 mm, broadest just above middle, slightly narrower at base, with rounded obtuse apex, ascending-spreading, pale greenish and smooth outside, bright yellow and papillate within; staminodes 0-2 per lobe (5 per flower), pilose, erect, ± 2 mm long, inserted near base of petals; ovary ± ovoid, horizontal, 5-7 x 4-5 mm, pale yellow, finely papillate; style 5-7 x 1.5-2.0 mm with broad cauliflower-like obscurely trifid apex, fused to receptacle about 4 mm below sepals. Fruit (only 1 seen) + spherical, 22 mm diam., finely pubescent, green where exposed, white beneath soil. Seeds 8, white, flattened ovoid, 10 x 7 mm (not yet ripe).