Phylica obtusifolia Pillans

A much branched, dense shrub, about 35 cm high, with ascending, wiry branches. Branchlets slender, well covered with grey tomentum. Leaves closely set, about 4 mm long, erect-spreading: lamina oblong, very obtuse, cordate and often slightly widened at base, subterete, closely revolute at the margins, with the lower surface covered; the entire upper surface closely tuberculate-scabrid, at first tomentose, pilose at the apex, soon becoming glabrous: petiole very short, mostly hidden by the base of the lamina. Capitula solitary, about 4 mm wide, hemisphaeric, comparatively few-flowered, surrounded by several sterile bracts with foliaceous tips. Bracts of the inner flowers narrowly spathulate, about 1.25 mm long, dorsally villous. Bracteoles 2, narrowly linear, dorsally villous. Flowers stipitate, about 2.5 mm long: calyx-tube 0.75 mm deep, cyathiform, clothed with deciduous tomentum: sepals 0.75 mm long, deltoid-ovate, with a dense covering of grey tomentum on the outer surface, flattened and glabrous on the inner. Petals absent. Stamens inserted half way up the tube: anthers reniform, 1-celled. Ovary obconic, villous with persistent grey hairs. Style short and stout. Stigma 3-lobed. Fruit about 5 mm long, obovate, densely villous, surmounted by a small calyx-area.