Muraltia alticola Schltr.

A branched shrub or undershrub, from 10-150 cm high, erect or spreading. Young branches puberulous, becoming glabrous. Leaves fasciculate, the fascicles usually distinct, rarely crowded and concealing the stem, the vegetative and floral leaves not very different: the primary 4-0-7-0 mm long, almost flat at first, becoming fleshy later, linear, oblong or oblanceolate, shortly apiculate, glabrous or minutely puberulous: the secondary similar but occasionally some broader. Bracts 0-4-0-8 mm long, ovate, concave, obtuse, glabrous. Flowers 4-0-5-5 mm long, pink or white, very shortly pedicellate. Sepals quite glabrous or the inner minutely ciliate, the anterior pair rather smaller than the others; the outer ovate, concave, obtuse or sub-acute: the inner almost flat, elliptical, from one-third to a little less than half the length of the side petals. Side petals widest a little below the middle, tapering to an acute or sub-acute tip, about as long as the carina. Claw of the carina usually shorter than the oblong limb, the line of attachment of the crest rather short, the width of the crest as great as or less than the limb of the carina, the upper and lower lobes similar. Ovary hispid in the upper part, horned, the anterior branch of the style small, the posterior well developed, making an obtuse angle with the style, the stigma somewhat oblique. Capsule sparsely hispid, the slender horns about as long as the capsule. Seed broadly ellipsoidal, sparsely pubescent, the caruncle with broad membranous lobes.