Phylica reversa Pillans

A moderately branched, low shrub with ascending rigid branches. Branchlets wiry, covered with very short tomentum. Leaves crowded, 8-10 mm long: lamina linear or lanceolate-linear, obtuse, rounded at base, dorsally compressed, slightly incurved, with closely revolute margins covering the lower surface: upper surface smooth, coarsely tubercled and at first pilose on the margins, soon becoming glabrous: petiole short and stout. Capitula solitary, 1-1.5 cm wide, few-flowered, surrounded at base by ascending leaves and leafy bracts. Bracts 1-1.2 cm long, acicular, recurved above the middle, villous. Bracteoles 2, 4-8 mm long, acicular, villous. Flowers subsessile, about 9 mm long, with a dense, persistent covering outside of long, ascending, straight, white hairs: calyx-tube 4.5 mm deep, narrowly cyathiform, with an inconspicuous fleshy disc at the base: sepals 2-2.5 mm long, lanceolate, acute; inner surface rounded-convex on the upper half, glabrous. Petals inserted at the mouth of the tube, scarcely 0.5 mm long, ascending, curved backwards, oblanceolate, acute or obtuse, slightly concave on the outer side. Anthers reniform, 1-celled. Ovary obconic. Style 1.5 mm long, slender. Stigma small, trigonous.