Phylica pustulata E.Phillips

A much branched shrub, about 90 cm high, with wiry, reddish branches. Branchlets slender sparsely pilose, reddish. Leaves closely set, 1.2-1.8 cm long: lamina linear or acicular, acute, rounded at base, ascending, with closely re volute margins covering the lower surface; upper surface sparingly tubercled and, at first, pilose on the margins and up the midrib; petiole 1-1.5 mm long. Capitula solitary, widely conical or hemisphaeric, about 1 cm high, subtended by several leaves. Bracts 3-4 mm long, linear-lanceolate, acute, sulcate on the inner surface, ciliate. Bracteoles 2, slightly shorter, linear, ciliate. Flowers 5 mm long: calyx-tube 1.75 mm deep, urceolate, glabrous on the lower half of the outer surface, villous on the upper: sepals 2-2.5 mm long, ovate, long-attenuate, sparsely pubescent on the basal portion and a short distance up the middle of the inner surface, angular-convex and scabridous on the attenuate portion, villous with spreading white hairs on the outer surface. Petals inserted half way up the tube, 0.5-0.75 mm long, setaceous, incurved, possibly sometimes absent. Anthers 1-celled. Ovary obconic, glabrous. Style and stigma together 0.5 mm high, conical.