Mimetes chrysanthus Rourke

An erect, sparsely branched shrub, 1.5-2 m tall with a single main trunk, 40-60 mm in diam., branching at about 200 mm into a few stiffly erect branches; bark grey, smooth. Flowering branches 4-7 mm in diam., minutely and densely puberulous with a white crisped indumentum. Leaves sub-petiolate, petiolar region 3-5 mm long; blade broadly lanceolate to elliptic 30-45 mm long, 10-18 mm wide, minutely puberulous with sparse crisped pubescence, later glabrescent to glabrous; apical callus usually retuse, occasionally bifid. Inflorescence a densely cylindric conflorescence, 60-90 mm long, 55-60 mm wide, topped with a suberect coma of reduced green leaves. Axillary capitula subtended by patent, undifferentiated green leaves; 25-35-flowered, the lowermost capitula usually fewer-flowered than the uppermost. Involucral bracts tightly imbricate; outer series ovate-obtuse, becoming oblong-spathulate 5-10 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, densely lanate proximally, apex rounded, thickened, glabrescent; inner series 6-8 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, lanceolate acute, densely sericeous; cartilaginous, enlarging 3-4 times and becoming lignified in the post-pollination phase. Floral bracts linear acute, 8-12 mm long, sericeous, apices crinite. Perianth 24-28 mm long, straight in bud, curving adaxially during anthesis but actinomorphic after anthesis, bright yellow; proximal region 8-10 mm long, segments glabrous, hyaline, free to base but outwardly bowed; cohering and becoming connate in median region forming a densely puberulous tube 6-8 mm long; separating distally, becoming widely splayed and sparsely puberulous; limbs linear, acute, 3-5 mm long, glabrous. Style straight, filiform, 25-35 mm long, glabrous, yellow. Pollen presenter 1-1.2 mm long linear, slightly geniculate at junction with style; stigmatic groove terminal. Ovary oblong-cylindric, scarcely differentiated from style, 2 mm long, puberulous. Hypogynous scales subulate, 1-1.5 mm long. Fruit an ovoid to cylindric achene, 6-8 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, minutely puberulous to glabrescent. Flowering takes place mainly in April and May but probably commences in late March. A few conflorescences apparently continue to open as late as July. When fully open the brilliant yellow conflorescences emit a faint sweet perfume reminiscent of the flowers of Acacia karroo.