Lachnaea eriocephala L.

Erect, sparsely to moderately branched shrub up to 0.6 m tall, single-stemmed at base; reseeder. Branches ascending, subrigid, terete, at first sericeous-hirtellous, later glabrescent, leafy, becoming naked with leaf scars. Leaves decussate, ascending or subadpressed, imbricate, sessile, epistomatic, coriaceous, lanceolate or narrowly elliptic,5.2-15.0 x 1.0-2.5 mm, glabrous; adaxially flat to concave, enervate, white-punctulate, dull; abaxially convex and keeled, usually more so towards apex, glossy; margin at first ciliate, later glabrous; apex rounded or acute; base rounded; distal 2 or 3 leaf pairs subtending inflorescence bract-like, elliptic to widely elliptic, oblate, or obovate to very widely obovate, 5.2-17.0 x 3.6-14.0 mm (distal pair the broadest), coriaceous, green or green tinged maroon; adaxially concave, glabrous; abaxially convex, keeled in upper half, glabrous to sparsely adpressed hairy; margin membranous, ciliate; apex acuminate to mucronulate; base cuneate or obtuse. Inflorescence a terminal, sessile, pseudobracteate, more than 40-flowered, capitulum-like umbel with up to 30 open flowers at a time, 25-55 mm diam., on main flowering branches; umbel appears to be enclosed at base by 2 or 3 pairs of involucral bracts but vegetative shoots develop in axils of distal bract-like leaves, although branching usually occurs below subdistal pair of bract-like leaves. Flowers zygomorphic, cream or mauve, pedicellate. Pedicel linear, abaxially produced beyond insertion of flower, 2-6 mm long, elongating in fruiting stage, villous, responsible for woolly appearance of old inflorescence. Hypanthium 5.8-15.0 mm long, circumscissile ±0.2 from base, circumscission zone not clearly defined; upper portion narrowly funnel-shaped, sericeous-hirsute outside, sericeous inside; basal portion narrowly ovoid, puberulent or glabrescent outside, glabrous inside. Sepals patent, unequal, anterior and lateral ones directed outwards, anterior one elliptic, 6.2-10.3 x 2.5-4.8 mm, lateral ones elliptic, 4.5-9.5 x 1.7-3.5 mm, posterior one ovate, 2.3-5.5 x 1.2-3.0 mm, always shorter than other three, adaxially sparsely sericeous, abaxially sericeous, apex rounded. Stamens exserted; outer, antesepalous whorl arising at or near base of sepals; inner, antepetalous whorl arising at rim of hypanthium, shorter than outer whorl; outer filaments 1.2-4.5 mm long, inner 1-3 mm long; anthers ellipsoid, 0.7-1.2 mm long, abaxially without broad connective tissue. Floral scales exserted, arising at mouth of hypanthium immediately below antepetalous stamens, obscured by hairs in mouth, linear, 0.6-1.0 mm long, glabrous, translucent white in fresh state. Ovary narrowly ovoid or ellipsoid, 1-2 mm long, glabrous. Style linear,5.2-10.5 mm long, sericeous in upper half to three-quarters. Stigma brush-like.