Lachnaea burchellii Meisn.

Erect to decumbent, sparsely branched shrub up to 0.3 m tall, single-stemmed at base; reseeder. Branches erect to straggling, slender, ridged below leaf bases, internodes 72-2 x as long as leaves, sparsely adpressed hairy or glabrous, leafy, becoming naked with prominent leaf scars. Leaves decussate or occasionally subopposite, ascending to inclined, distal pair below inflorescence patent, imbricate to scattered, sessile, epistomatic, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 6-13 x 1-3 mm, coriaceous, glabrous, ± flat; adaxially smooth, dull, ± white-punctulate; abaxially 1-3-ribbed, glossy; apex acuminate; base cuneate; leaves on reduced lateral flowering branches bract-like, elliptic, obovate to widely obovate or suborbicular, 1.3-4.9 x 1.1-4.5 mm, coriaceous, green, often with reddish tinge; adaxially concave, smooth, dull; abaxially convex, glossy, obtuse or mucronate, glabrous or abaxially sparsely hairy; margin ciliate. Inflorescence a terminal, sessile, ebracteate, 4-10-flowered umbel on main and short lateral flowering branches, those on the latter appearing bracteate. Flowers subactinomorphic, cream or pale pink. Pedicel 0.3-1.1 mm long, adpressed hirsute. Hypanthium 2.3-4.6 mm long, circumscissile xh-1h from base; upper portion funnel-shaped, sericeous outside, adpressed hirsute inside; basal portion ellipsoid or ovoid, clothed with obtuse hairs outside, glabrous inside. Sepals patent, subequal, posterior sepal smallest, anterior one largest, elliptic or ovate, 2.0-4.6 x 1.1-3.2 mm, apex rounded or obtuse, adaxially sparsely sericeous or glabrous, abaxially sericeous. Stamens exserted; outer, antesepalous whorl arising at base of sepals; inner, antepetalous whorl arising at rim of hypanthium; filaments 0.7-1.4 mm long; anthers ellipsoid to suborbicular, 0.5-0.7 mm long, abaxially without broad connective tissue. Floral scales exserted, arising at mouth of hypanthium immediately below antepetalous stamens, capitate, 0.4-0.5 mm long, lower half with declinate trichomes, upper half glabrous, white in fresh state. Ovary ellipsoid, 0.8-1.4 mm long, glabrous. Style terete-obconical, 2.1-3.7 mm long, clothed with stiff ascending hairs in upper half. Stigma brush-like.