Lachnaea ruscifolia Compton

Erect, moderately branched shrub up to 0.8 m tall, multistemmed at base; resprouter. Branches erect, slender to moderately thick, ridged below leaf bases, covered with long, straight, adpressed hairs admixed with crooked ones, densely leafy, later glabrescent and naked with prominent leaf scars. Leaves alternate, ascending to patent, imbricate, sessile to subsessile, epistomatic, ovate to orbicular, 5.0-10.5 x 2.6-5.5 mm, coriaceous, green, glabrous; adaxially obtusely concave, smooth, dull, ± white-punctate; abaxially convex, glossy, with 6-9 ridges converging to base and apex; apex acute to subacute; base cuneate, margin indurated, at first pilose, later deciduous, becoming naked; petiole up to 0.6 mm long. Inflorescence terminal, 1-flowered, but appearing to be axillary as apical meristem of main branches seems to abort and flowers borne only on much reduced, lateral flowering shoots, comprising usually one pair of small, scarious, bracteose leaves and a solitary flower, which develop at random in axils of foliage leaves on main flowering branches thus appearing spicate-like. Flowers sessile, subactinomorphic, creamy white. Hypanthium 2.7-4.7 mm long, circumscissile 1/3 from base; upper portion narrowly funnel-shaped, tomentose outside, adpressed villous inside; basal portion ellipsoid, tomentose outside, glabrous inside. Sepals ascending, subequal, elliptic to narrowly ovate, 2.8-4.5 x 1.5-2.2 mm, subacute to obtuse, both surfaces tomentose. Stamens exserted; outer, antesepalous whorl arising at base of sepals, 0.9-1.3 mm long; inner, antepetalous whorl arising at rim of hypanthium, 0.9-1.1 mm long; anthers spheroid, 0.3-0.5 mm long, abaxially without broad connective tissue. Floral scales exserted, arising at mouth of hypanthium, immediately below antepetalous stamens, ovate to obovate in outline, laterally flattened, 0.6-1.0 mm long, glabrous, yellow in fresh state. Ovary ovoid, 0.8-1.1 mm long, usually glabrous but occasionally with tuft of hair at base of style. Style terete-obconical, 2.7M.5 mm long, with incurled hairs in upper half, rest glabrous. Stigma capitate, elongate-papillate.