Phylica imberbis P.J.Bergius

A moderately branched shrub, usually 30-40 cm in height, up to 60 cm high, with wiry stems. Branchlets clothed with short, adpressed, grey pubescence with which are occasionally intermingled spreading, silky hairs. Leaves closely set, mostly 7-12 mm long: lamina ascending or erect-spreading, linear or lanceolate-linear, acute or obtuse, rounded at base, with closely re volute margins entirely covering the lower surface or almost so; upper surface smooth or wrinkled, except for finely tubercled margins, or finely and closely tubercled throughout, at first pilose on the margins and midrib or clothed with adpressed, silky, grey hairs: petiole up to 1 mm long. Capitula normally solitary, 7-10 mm wide, hemisphaeric or rarely subconic. Bracts 1.75-3 mm long, linear or lanceolate, with adpressed pubescence on the outer surface. Bracteoles 2, about half as long, similar. Flowers 3.5-5 mm long: calyx-tube 1-1.5 mm deep, cyathiform, more or less 5-angled, covered outside with short, soft, reflexed or spreading, grey hairs, with an annular disc at the base: sepals about 1.5 mm long, ovate, acute; inner surface with a prominent keel up the middle; outer surface covered with ascending grey hairs. Petals inserted at or near the mouth of the tube, 0.75-1.25 mm long: lamina cordate, acute, more or less cucullate, somewhat compressed laterally in the upper half with incurved sides: claw very short, transversely oblong. Anthers 2-celled, cordate in back view: cells broadly elliptic, somewhat obliquely truncate at apex, with posterior margins diverging from apex to base. Ovary turbinate, covered with reflexed, spreading or very rarely ascending, short, grey hairs. Style 0.75-1.5 mm long, trigonous or terete. Stigma conical and entire or with 3 erect lobes. Fruit 6-7 mm long, rotundate, puberulous, purple-brown, with a small depressed area on the summit.