Suffrutex with subterranean or partially exposed sub-succulent, globose caudex to 40 mm diam., from which 1-4 perennial aerial branches arise. Aerial branches golden-green, firmly herbaceous, terete, to 250 mm long, 2-4 mm in diam., mostly simple or with one or more short branches distally, retrorsely strigulose initially but later glabrous, hairs unicellular, subulate, to 95 µm long, closely tuberculate. Leaves summer deciduous, mid-green, widely spaced; stipules firmly herbaceous, caducous, narrowly triangular, to 2.2 mm long, to 1.5 mm wide, strigulose; petiole terete, 8-12 mm long, strigulose, hairs to 160 µm long; lamina pinnatisect, oblong to elliptic in outline, 10-70 × 10-15 mm, carnose, pinnae alternate, rhomboid to obtrullate, to 7 × 6 mm, plicate, unequally lobed, lobes narrowly to broadly cuneate, adaxially and abaxially strigulose; rachis persistent as stramineous, 6 mm, plicate, unequally lobed, lobes narrowly to broadly cuneate, adaxially and abaxially strigulose; rachis persistent as stramineous, fibre-like appendage. Inflorescences terminal on vegetative stems, rachis to 90 mm long, of 3-4 internodes up to 37 mm long, each node bearing 3-5 pseudo-umbels in succession, with pinnatifid leaves to 6 mm long at nodes, stipules broadly cuneate, to 1.5 × 1 mm, maroon, peduncles terete, to 40 mm long, to 1 mm in diameter, strigulose, pseudo-umbels 3-4 flowered. Flowers sub-regular, to 8 mm diam.; pedicels terete, 2.5-7.0 mm long, to 0.2 mm diam., closely set with hyaline, unicellular subulate hairs and pluricellular glandular hairs; hypanthium 4-8 mm long, closely set with hairs similar to those on pedicels; sepals narrowly elliptic, olive green with narrow hyaline margins, uppermost to 6.6 × 1.5 mm, lateral and lower sepals to 5.5 × 1.4 mm, glabrous adaxially, abaxially closely set with hairs and glandular hairs similar to those on stems and leaves, glandular hairs 4-or more-celled with basal cell enlarged and often conical and with 2-4 narrow neck cells, the apical cell globose, glandular, to 40 µm in diameter; petals 5, white to pale cream, immaculate, upper two narrowly elliptic, shortly clawed, to 6 × 2.2 mm, lateral petals narrowly elliptic, to 5 × 2 mm, clawed in basal 1 mm, basal petal narrowly obovate to obovate, to 4.5 × 2.2 mm, clawed in basal 1 mm long, claw in lateral and basal petals simple. Androecium: staminal column ±1 mm long, hyaline, fertile stamens 5, exerted, posterior to 6.2 mm long, median 3.0-5.6 mm long, filaments white to pale mauve in basal half and deep mauve distally; staminodes of unequal length, superior two narrowly triangular, to 3 mm long, acute or truncate, proximally hyaline with mauve apices, the inferior three hyaline, acute, to 1.4 mm long; anthers ellipsoid, to 2.3 × 1.1 mm, orange. Gynoecium: ovary obclavate, to 2.8 × 0.8 mm, densely set with white, appressed hairs, the hairs unicellular, cylindrical, to 220 µm long, smooth, truncate; style reddish and glabrous in distal half, filiform, to 3 mm long, proximally densely set with mix of hyaline, unicellular, acicular, verruculate hairs to 380 µm long and few-celled capitate glandular hairs to 70 µm long, glabrous distally; stigma 5-branched, branches to 1.5 mm long, mauve.
Home