Monsonia glauca R.Knuth

Erect, decumbent or prostrate, few-to many-stemmed, suffrutescent, 5-45 cm high. Roots often tuberous. Stems herbaceous to woody, up to approximately 50 cm long, 1-6 mm in diam. with a double indumentum the first of which is pubescent with curved or straight hairs and the second of few to many long erect gland-based hairs, with sessile and stalked glands. Leaves alternate at the base of the main stems and subopposite to opposite towards their apices and on the lateral branches, those of a pair subequal to unequal, the smaller leaves with lateral branches and/or inflorescences in the axil; petiole with the same indumentum as the stem, 0.4-1.3 x as long as the blade, 10-50 mm long, flattened or thickened at the base; stipules subulate or acicular, with the same indumentum as the stem, 6-12 mm long, mostly straw coloured and subspinescent; blade very narrowly ovate to narrowly ovate, 2.5-5.5(10) x as long as wide, mostly folded upwards along the midrib, 20-70 x 3-20 mm; attenuate or acute and sometimes 1-3-toothed at the apex; truncate or rarely cordate at the base; ciliate, serrate, often with globular pockets of powdery granules on or near the teeths' bases, and sometimes red-tinged at the margin; above granulose and obscurely to conspicuously pubescent, with curved or straight hairs, mostly with sessile and stalked glands; beneath pubescent with curved or straight hairs or with the double indumentum of the stem on the veins, mostly with stalked and sessile glands, often glandular-punctate; main veins subpinnate, 5 or 7, branching from the base, obscurely impressed above, prominent beneath. Inflorescences lateral, axillary or rarely leaf-opposed, 1-3-flowered, 45-150 mm long. Peduncles and pedicels slender, with the same indumentum as the stem and the pedicels, furthermore, with numerous stalked glands; peduncles 1-3 x as long as the pedicels, 10-85 mm long; pedicels 10-75 mm long and geniculate under the fruit; involucral bracts 1-4 per flower, subulate, appressed-pubescent, and with a few scattered long hairs as well. Sepals green to purplish-black, free, narrowly ovate to very narrowly ovate, 2.5-5 x as long as wide, 7-II x 2-3 mm; outside with a double indumentum the first of which is composed of short curved or straight hairs and the second of few to many long straight erect hairs, mostly with sessile and stalked glands; inside glabrous, with 3 parallel main veins; margins ciliate; mucro terete, with a globular pocket of powdery granules at its base, 0.5-2.5 mm long, greenish, reddish or purplish-black, with the same indumentum as the sepals. Petals obtriangular, 1.3-2.1 x as long as wide, 15-21 x 8-15 mm, 1.7-2.5 x as long as the sepals, 1.5-2 x as long as the stamens, white or creamy, whithering yellow, often with scattered sessile glands, venation greenish to greyish, with 5 main veins, glabrous or inside obscurely villose, ciliate, winged and sparsely pubescent at the base, straight or somewhat obtuse and obscurely crenate Or sinuate at the apex. Stamens monadelphous; groups basally connate for 0.7-1 mm; filaments of each group connate for 2-3 mm; filaments in the central stamens 7-10 mm and 48 in the lateral 5-9 mm long, terete at the apex and obscurely to moderately hairy outside' an ovate, 0.5 x 0.5 mm gland-cavity with two vertical rims is situated on the outer side of the base of each group; anthers elliptic, 1.5-2.1 x 0.7-1 mm, subintrorse. Pistil 7-10 mm long; ovary obovoid to broadly obovoid, hyalino-hirto-pubescent, terminally rimmed and ridged; beak longitudinally grooved, 4-5 mm long, lanulose with stalked glands in the basal part, pubescent and sometimes also with stalked glands in the apical part; stigmas clavate, 1.7-2 x 0.4-0.7 mm, outside glabrous or obscurely hairy; margin entire or subcrenate; apex acute to obtuse. Fruit 75-130 mm long; mericarps 12-16 x 2 mm and beak 65-115 mm long. Mericarps narrowly obconical, hirsute, with whitish or copper-coloured hairs, some of which, furthermore, have red or purplish spots around their bases; ridged, rimmed, and reticulate at the apex; the rim and oblique ridge conspicuous and sharp-edged; tail hirsute outside and hispid inside where it detaches from the beak-axis, these stiff hairs whitish or copper-coloured, and long at the tail's base, forming a crest. Seed narrowly obovoid, 5-6 x 1.4-1.8 mm, glabrous.