Lachnaea macrantha Meisn.

Erect to semi-erect, sparsely to much-branched shrub up to 2 m tall, single-stemmed at base; reseeder. Branches ascending, woody, ridged below leaf bases, glabrous, leafy, becoming naked with prominent leaf scars. Leaves alternate, ascending, those lower down on stem sometimes patent, imbricate, subsessile, epistomatic, obovate, 7-23 x 2.9-11.0 mm, coriaceous, glabrous, faintly nerved; adaxially ± flat or obtusely concave, glaucous, white-punctulate; abaxially ± flat or obtusely convex, glossy, smooth; apex rounded or mucronulate; base cuneate. Inflorescence a terminal, more than 50-flowered, ebracteate capitulum, 35-60 mm diam., basally enclosed by foliage leaves, pedunculate; peduncle 2-3 mm long, puberulent towards apex, glabrous below. Receptacle oblong conical to ellipsoid, 4.0-5.5 x 1.8-2.2 mm, puberulent. Flowers sessile, zygomorphic, cream, occasionally with pink or purplish tint, fragrantly scented. Hypanthium 6.6-10.6 mm long, circumscissile ±1/2 way; upper portion narrowly funnel-shaped, silky-hirsute outside, sericeous inside; basal portion narrowly ellipsoid, ellipsoid or ovoid, sericeous outside, glabrous inside. Sepals patent, unequal, sericeous on both sides; anterior one at least three times longer than other three, obovate, 8.3-16.3 x 2.3-6.5 mm, apex acute to rounded; lateral ones narrowly elliptic to narrowly obovate, 2.0-5.5 x 0.4-1.3 mm, apex acute to rounded; posterior one narrowly elliptic to elliptic or narrowly ovate, 2-4 x 0.5-1.3 mm, apex acute to rounded. Stamens cxserted; outer, antesepalous whorl arising near base to 1/5 way up sepal; inner, antepetalous whorl aris ing at rim of hypanthium; outer filaments 0.6-2.5 mm long, inner 0.7-2.0 mm long; anthers ellipsoid to subrotund, 0.4-0.8 mm long, abaxially without broad connective tisssue. Floral scales exserted, arising in mouth of hypanthium immediately below antepetalous stamens, obovoid, 0.4-0.7 mm long, glabrous, yellow in fresh state. Ovary narrowly obovoid to ovoid, 1.8-3.0 mm long, attenuate at base, sericeous throughout or only near apex. Style filiform, upper 1/3-1/2 covered with ascending hairs, glabrous below. Stigma brush-like.