Monsonia burkeana Planch. ex Harv. & Sond.

Erect, semi-erect, rarely decumbent, suffrutescent, sometimes aromatic, multi-stemmed, 30-40 cm high. Stems herbaceous to woody, 5-35 cm long, 2-6 mm in diam., terete, pubescent with curved or straight hairs, less often with a double indumentum the first of which is as above and the second composed of long scattered gland-based erect hairs, mostly with numerous sessile and stalked glands. Leaves: the lower alternate, the upper sub-opposite to opposite with those of a pair unequal, the smaller leaves with lateral branches and/or inflorescences in the axil; the petiole with the same indumentum and glands as the stem, 0.2-0.5 x as long as the blade, 4-17 mm long, often geniculate at the apex and flattened at the base; stipules subulate or acicular, 2-10 mm long, obscurely pubescent, rarely subspinescent; blade narrowly elliptic, elliptic, or narrowly ovate, often erect, l.5-7.5 x as long as wide, 10-50 x 4-12 mm, obtuse or truncate and with 3 teeth at the apex, obtuse or less often cuneate at the base, serrate; above granulose, obscurely puberulent, or pubescent with the hairs curved or straight, mostly with sessile and stalked glands which may be few or numerous; beneath with the same indumentum and glands but these more conspicuous and with longer more Or less appressed hairs on the veins; main veins pinnately or exceptionally subpinnately arranged, impressed above, prominent beneath. Inflorescences lateral, axillary or not, 1-4(5)-f1owered, 50-110 mm long. Peduncles and pedicels slender, with same indumentum and glands as the stem; peduncle 0.7-4 x as long as the pedicels, 10-50 mm long; pedicels 14-30 mm long and sometimes geniculate under the fruit. Involucral bracts 1 or 3 per flower, stipule-like. Sepals green, free, very narrowly ovate or narrowly obovate, 2.2-4 x as long as wide, 7-11 x 2-4 mm, with 3 parallel veins; outside pubescent with ordinary hairs, some or most of which may be replaced by stalked glands or otherwise with a double indumentum of appressed pubescence and long straight, often gland based hairs, with sessile glands; inside glabrous; margins ciliate; mucro 1-2 mm long, terete, dark brown, straight or curved, glabrous to obscurely pubescent. Petals obtriangular to narrowly obtriangular, 1.2-2.3 x as long as wide, 12-22 x 6-16 mm, 1.6-2.5 x as long as the sepals, 1.2-2.2 x as long as the stamens, white, pink, mauve, purplish-blue, or rarely yellow, outside glabrous and inside obscurely villose, sometimes with scattered sessile or stalked glands, with 5 purplish-grey main veins, apex faintly sinuate to obscurely 3-5-lobed, sometimes winged and obscurely ciliate at the base. Stamens monadelphous, arranged in a cup-shaped column around the pistil, groups connate for 0.5-1 mm, filaments of each group connate at the base for 1 mm; the filaments in the central stamens 8-10 mm and in the lateral 5-8 mm long, terete at the apex, pubescent to obscurely pubescent, a prominent triangular or ovate gland or obscure gland-cavity is situated on the outer side of the base of each group; the gland often with a 1 mm long, ligulate and ciliate, apical appendage; anthers elliptic, all equal, 1.5-2 x 0.5-1 mm, subintrorse or laterotrorse. Pistil 8-11.5 mm long; ovary broadly obovoid, 2 x 2 mm, hirto-pubescent; the beak also hirto-pubescent, 3-6 mm long and longitudinally grooved; stigmas clavate or linear, 1.5-4 x 0.5 mm, outer surface glabrous or obscurely pubescent, reddish Fruit45-8
 long, mericarps 9-12 x 2-2.5mmand beak 40-6
 long. Mericarps narrowly and obliquely obovoid, hirsute, rimmed and obliquely domed at the apex; the tail hirsute outside, hispid inside where it detaches from the beak-axis; these stiff hairs long at the tail's base and forming a crest. Seed narrowly obovoid, 4-5 x 1-1.5 mm, glabrous. The flowering season starts in early spring, August/September, and continues until autumn, May/June, whilst fruits are present on the plants from September to June.