Shrub erect, to 25 cm high, to 50 cm diameter. Branches only younger parts articulated, green, succulent, older ones becoming very woody with age reaching 9 mm in diameter; internodes cylindrical, 2-4 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, epidermal bladder cells xeromorphic, with hair-like extensions. Leaves 3.0-5.5 mm long, 1.0-1.5 mm broad, almost cylindrical, free and with bases overlapping, basally without conspicuous fringe of cilia, with mesomorphic epidermal bladder cells without hair-like extensions, deciduous. Inflorescence 1-flowered. Calyx with 5 lobes; lobes shortly connate and erect during anthesis. Flowers 7-10 mm diameter. Staminodes: petaloid staminodes cream-coloured, free to bases, recurving over calyx lobes; filamentous staminodes absent. Ovary semi-inferior; placentation axile. Fruit a hygrochastic capsule, 5-locular, 2-4 mm diam., valve wings inflexed over expanded valves, seed bags absent. Seeds cream to brown, D-shaped, without crest, testa more or less smooth, without hilar bulge.
Home